Ariarne Titmus vs Mollie O’Callaghan: Olympic Games legend reveals the crucial factor which will decide 200m freestyle final in Paris
- Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus to battle it out in Paris
- Australian swimming superstars set to compete
- The couple is accompanied by the same swimming coach
All eyes in Paris are on Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan as the Australian swimming stars compete in a final of the 200m freestyle.
The Australians are by far the strongest in their class and it is expected to be a two-horse race when they take the start line in Paris on Monday evening (local time).
But in an intriguing twist, Titmus and O’Callaghan share the same coach, cult hero Dean Boxall, who became a fan favourite for his wild antics at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Questions have been raised as to what he teaches his two best pupils. Former Olympian James Magnussen has explained how he would approach this dilemma.
“Dean needs to turn to Mollie and say, ‘This is your plan tonight to defeat Ariane.’ And then he needs to turn to Ariane and say, ‘Ariane, this is your plan to defeat Mollie,'” Magnussen said.
‘I don’t know how it works. It’s never happened in my career, but it’s fascinating.
“It’s fascinating. Who’s his favorite? I don’t know. He can’t have a favorite…”
However, Magnussen believes that psychologically Titmus already has an advantage over O’Callaghan, with her strong swim in the semi-final having earned her the best position in lane four for the final.
Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan compete at the Olympic Games
The Australian swimmers are expected to compete for gold in the 200m freestyle final
He also suggested that Titmus use a similar strategy in her victory over Kate Ledecky in the 400-meter final, staring down the American before the race began.
“If I were Ariarne, I would stare at her. I would get inside her head, because I want to win at all costs,” Magnussen said.
“But when I say that, I’ve never beaten one of my best friends in the Olympic final in front of the world press, right? But if I were Ariarne, I’d try to get inside Mollie’s head.
“I’m not sure what their relationship is. They have to be good friends. They spend six hours a day together, every day of the week, every day of the year. So they have to be good friends. That just makes it more intriguing.”
However, Magnussen warned O’Callaghan not to attempt a similar strategy against Titmus.
“I would say Ariarne is the one you would say ‘don’t poke the bear’. Don’t stir Ariarne. Don’t give Ariarne any motivation, because she’s the one who’s taking on the challenge,” Magnussen said.