Ariarne Titmus won her fourth gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, taking out the 400m freestyle final to complete a rare triple treat: freestyle gold over 200m, 400m and 800m – and all in Commonwealth Games record times.
Titmus was also part of Australia’s 4x200m freestyle team which won gold in a world record.
‘I came here with the goal to win all four,’ Titmus said.
‘I’m excited to get the job done personally but also for the country.’
The defending Olympic Champion claimed the victory at Sandwell Aquatics Centre after holding off a challenge from 15-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, who will leave Birmingham with the silver trophy.
Australian Kiah Melverton pulled in third to win bronze.
The world record holder’s will take home gold medals from the 200m, 400m, 800m and 4x200m relay after a stunning campaign.
Ariarne Titmus (pictured) has won her fourth gold medal at the Commonwealth games
The triumph comes after Titmus, known as the ‘Terminator’, claimed a personal world record in the anchor leg of the Australian women’s 200m freestyle relay, with a lightning-fast split of 1:52.82 seconds.
The entire relay team – Titmus, Madi Wilson, Mollie O’Callaghan and Kiah Melverton – also smashed the overall world record, regaining their title as the best on the planet.
The effort from Titmus meant the team sliced more than a second off the previous world record of 7:40.33 set by China at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
In a stunning admission, she said she felt ‘slow’ in her world-record swim.
Australia’s Ariarne Titmus celebrates winning and taking the gold medal in the women’s 400m freestyle swimming final at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre
The world record holder’s will take home gold medals from the 200m, 400m, 800m and 4x200m relay
‘I’m really happy to be able to perform for the girls,’ Titmus said afterwards.
‘I mean, in the past couple of relays I have done I feel like I haven’t really performed my role as well as would have liked.
‘I was disappointed last year at the Olympics, so I’m glad that I could do my job for the team.’
‘I actually felt like I was going a bit slow on the way back. I’m passing the other girls. I felt a bit of a wash and I didn’t really know how fast I was going. But the crowd definitely helped.’
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