Launceston-born swimmer Ariarne Titmus smashed a new national record en route to gold in the women’s 400-metre freestyle in Brisbane.
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Titmus, 17, swam a time of four minutes and 2.86 seconds, to break the two-year-old Australian record that was set by Jess Ashwood (4:03.34) on her way to winning bronze at the 2015 world championships.
Titmus won the final ahead of the former record holder by nearly seven seconds, as Ashwood finished with a time of 4:09.65, followed by Mikkayla Sheridan in third place.
Titmus’ time now ranks her fourth in the world for the 2017 calendar year, after her heroics during the Budapest championships earlier this year.
At the same meet in Queensland, Cate Campbell moved up to equal-fourth in the 2017 world rankings with Denmark’s Pernille Blume in the 100-meter freestyle.
Campbell swam a 52.69 to win by over a second ahead of her sister, Bronte.
Despite her tender age, Titmus’ time of 4:02.86 ranks only behind world number one, China’s Bingjie Li.
Performances like these have attracted swift comparisons between herself and young American, Katie Ledecky, who won gold aged 15 at the 2012 London Olympic games.
