In one of the most staggering duels in the pool you’ll see, Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan have both beaten the 200m freestyle world record at the Australian swimming trials.

But it was Titmus who found the wall first, not just breaking into the 1:52s for the first time but smashing the barrier with a 1:52.23, ahead of previous record-holder O’Callaghan with a 1:52.48.

The old record was 1:52.85, set by O’Callaghan at the 2023 world championships.

The result means Titmus now holds both the 200m and 400m world records.

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The top six finishers from the event are all likely to make the Australian squad as the 4x200m freestyle relay team – where the Aussies are favourites for gold.

“I’m on the team already but I still want to swim fast this week,” Titmus said pre-race.

“This week is about building confidence, kind of knowing where I sit in terms of my prep and where I have to tweak to try and get better at a time between now and Paris.”

Austalia only won bronze in the 4x200m relay in Tokyo, but the team of Titmus, O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Brianna Throssell set the world record of 7:37.50 at last year’s world championships, going almost three seconds faster than China’s gold medal time at the Games.

On Wednesday night four more women swum the qualifying time, with Lani Pallister in third (1:55.57) from Throssell (1:55.74), Jack (1:56.22) and Jamie Perkins (1:56.22).

If they were in the Tokyo Olympic final, Pallister would’ve finished seventh with Throssell eighth, with Jack and Perkins also faster than the actual eighth-placer in that race.

Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Cameron McEvoy earned the right to become the first Aussie man to swim at four Olympics, with the reigning world champion winning the men’s 50m freestyle final.

McEvoy dominated from early in the splash and dash, with his 21.35 marking him as a true gold medal contender in an event Australia has never medalled in.

Ben Armbruster was second, just pipping the qualifying time at 21.84. Kyle Chalmers was fourth with a 22.04.

In the men’s 800m freestyle, 2024 worlds silver medallist Elijah Winnington (7:44.90) pulled away from 2023 worlds silver medallist Sam Short (7:46.52) in the final laps, the former beating the strict Swimming Australia qualifying time.

Short will still be in the mix to race the 800m at the Games having already qualified via the 400m.

Bowen Gough won the men’s 200m butterfly final after fastest qualifier Matthew Temple withdrew to focus on other events. Gough was still behind the qualifying time, recording a 1:56.18 – over a second off what he needed to automatically qualify, leaving his fate in the selectors’ hands.

AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC SWIM TRIALS

To qualify for the Olympic team, a swimmer must finish in the top two of the A final of their event, and meet Swimming Australia’s qualifying time.

A swimmer only needs to qualify in one event to make the team, and can then attempt other events as well.

The meet is being held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre and can be watched on Nine and 9Now, with the finals from 7:30pm AEST each night.

The final team will be announced on Saturday night.

Qualification times (men’s / women’s)

50m freestyle: 21.88 / 24.67

100m freestyle: 48.06 / 53.61

200m freestyle: 1:45.97 / 1:56.49

400m freestyle: 3:45.43 / 4:04.98

800m freestyle: 7:45.80 / 8:22.20

1500m freestyle: 14:54.29 / 16:01.95

100m backstroke: 53.21 / 59.62

200m backstroke: 1:57.28 / 2:09.74

100m breaststroke: 59.49 / 1:06.31

200m breaststroke: 2:09.50 / 2:23.91

100m butterfly: 51.17 / 57.17

200m butterfly: 1:54.97 / 2:07.72

200m individual medley: 1:57.23 / 2:10.62

400m individual medley: 4:12.50 / 4:38.53

World record times

50m freestyle: 20.91 / 23.61

100m freestyle: 46.80 / 51.71

200m freestyle: 1:42.00 / 1:52.85 (Mollie O’Callaghan)

400m freestyle: 3:40.07 / 3:55.38 (Ariarne Titmus)

800m freestyle: 7:32.12 / 8:04.79

1500m freestyle: 14:31.02 / 15:20.48

100m backstroke: 51.60 / 57.33 (Kaylee McKeown)

200m backstroke: 1:51.92 / 2:03.14 (Kaylee McKeown)

100m breaststroke: 56.88 / 1:04.13

200m breaststroke: 2:05.48 / 2:17.55

100m butterfly: 49.45 / 55.48

200m butterfly: 1:50.34 / 2:06.12

200m individual medley: 1:54.00 / 2:06.12

400m individual medley: 4:02.50 / 4:24.38