Mollie O'Callaghan Poised for 100m Freestyle Gold at World Champs

Australian juggernaut Mollie O'Callaghan is positioned to pursue 100 meters freestyle gold at the World Championships in Singapore, following her fastest finish in the heats. O'Callaghan recorded a time of 53.40 seconds, outpacing Dutch defending champion Marrit Steenbergen by 0.13 seconds.

With reigning Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom opting out due to her pregnancy and Paris runner-up Torri Huske not competing at her best, O'Callaghan has a prime opportunity to repeat her success from the 2023 championships in Fukuoka. Amidst illness-induced absences like Gretchen Walsh's, O'Callaghan's prospects seem promising.

Despite setbacks such as the U.S. team facing food poisoning and other swimmers, including Australian Sam Short, being affected, competition remains tough. Noteworthy performances include Russia's Aleksandr Zhigalov leading in the 200 individual semis and China's Qin Haiyang, who qualified fourth in the event.

(With inputs from agencies.)