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1 month ago
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Mollie O'Callaghan has triumphed over her training partner and the former Olympic champion, Ariarne Titmus, to win gold in Paris.
Yet her compatriot could not be happier for the youngster in heartwarming scenes at the Paris Aquatic Centre.
The Aussie superstars have been on a collision course for some time, with each shattering the world record in the 200m women's freestyle in the build up to the 2024 Games.
And it all came to a head in Paris with the pair doing battle in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Dean Boxall, the swimming coach who mentors both stars, would have certainly felt torn as his pupils stood on the starting blocks.
But it was O'Callaghan who triumphed over a pulsating four lengths of the Paris pool, with an incredible burst of energy in the final 50 metres seeing her touch the wall ahead of Titmus with a time of 1.53:27.
Titmus, meanwhile, was over half a second slower, coming in for silver with 1:53.81.
There were no hard feelings between the pair as they emerged from the water. They shared a warm embrace before Titmus raised O'Callaghan's arm aloft to bask in the applause of the Parisian crowd.
O'Callaghan recognised her teammate when the medals were awarded, inviting her to the top step of the podium - the perfect example of sporting integrity that the Olympics prides itself on.
Mollie O'Callaghan has won gold in the women's 200m freestyle at the Olympic Games
O'Callaghan defeated Tokyo champion and teammate Ariarne Titmus in the final
In a thrilling shootout in Paris, Titmus had to settle for silver but was full of class afterwards
Boxall, who has remained neutral throughout the build up, was seen giving a thumbs up when the camera panned to him at the conclusion of the race.
It is O'Callaghan's second gold medal of the Paris Olympics, having taken the top prize in the 4x100m women's freestyle relay on Saturday night.
'It's such an honour to be with everyone, and compete against Arnie,' O'Callaghan said.
'She is an absolute gun. She races like an absolute beast. And it's an honour to train alongside her and have such a great team around us.'
O'Callaghan snatched the gold from her teammate with an incredible final 50 metres
Titmus was seen raising her teammate's arm aloft to congratulate her after the race, and paid credit to Boxall for his efforts in mentoring them both.
'I think he should be so proud of his efforts. He is a brilliant coach,' she said.
'To manage this and have the two fastest girls in the world is a credit to him. It's not just us, opening night he contributed to every medal that we won as a coach.'
English (US)