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Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus has reclaimed the world record in the women’s 400 metres freestyle in Fukuoka, winning gold on night one of the swimming program.
Titmus’s victory at the World Aquatics Championships came only 30 minutes after Australian teammate Sam Short won the men’s 400m freestyle final.
Having lost her world record to Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh earlier this year, Titmus produced a breathtaking performance to win in a time of three minutes and 55.38 seconds.
Four-time world champions in the event, Katie Ledecky of the United States, took silver, more than three seconds adrift of Titmus in 3:58.73.
New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather (3:59.59) was third, while 16-year-old McIntosh — who had held the world record with a time of 3:56.08 — was fourth in 3:59.94.
“I was just really excited for this race,” Titmus told the Nine Network.
“I’ve put in a lot of work the last six weeks and I took a lot away from [the national] trials. I swam the way I wanted to.
“I knew I had enough time to turn that around and I came in tonight and just tried to be fearless and race again, and it paid off.”
It is Titmus’s second world championships gold in the 400m freestyle, having first won the event in 2019 in Gwangju.
Earlier, Short was locked in a enthralling battle with Tunisia’s Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui in the final lap of the men’s final, before touching the wall in first place.
The 19-year-old Queenslander swam three minutes and 40.68 seconds, beating Hafnaoui by just 0.02.
“Bloody amazing,” Short said after the final.
“I knew it was going to be a race in two with 100 (metres) left. I got goosebumps thinking I was in the race with him (Hafnaoui) and I got my hand on the wall first.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Short is the fifth Australian to win the event at the world championships.
German Lukas Märtens (3:42.20) claimed bronze, while Australia’s defending champion Elijah Winnington (3:44.26) was seventh.
More to come.
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