McKeon shock win as Titmus qualifies

EMMA McKeon shocked even herself by upsetting Ariarne Titmus, having thought her best sprinting in the 200m freestyle was over.

Instead, the ace from the Gold Coast cranked out her fastest 200m since 2016 to dominate the final at the world championships trials at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

McKeon (1min 54.55sec) won from the front in the second-fastest time in the world this year, but the good news was that Titmus (1:55.09) also posted a qualifying time for second to still be part of a huge script in South Korea next month.

Titmus and McKeon will both take their shot at American superstar Katie Ledecky and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in the four-lap race.

They will also be the core of a strong 4x200m relay squad with third-placed Shayna Jack and Perth’s Brianna Throssell.

“For a bit, I thought I’d lost it with being in the mix for the 200 but tonight gives me a lot of confidence,” McKeon said.

“I’m definitely shocked. I wasn’t expecting to do a personal best for the first time in this race since the 2016 Olympic trials.

“I’d probably lost some confidence over the past few years and with not being able to do as much training with the shoulder.

“The good thing is it’s probably giving me these performances now because I have been working on the mental side.

“Sometimes I used to get too caught in watching where everyone else is so a big thing has been working on the mental side.”

Titmus was unruffled: “It’s one of my fastest swims and I get to do it again in five weeks at worlds so I’m excited about it. Not many people get the advantage of racing one of the top competitors domestically.”

The fate of misfiring Olympic champion Mack Horton is in the hands of Australia’s swimming selectors, with a third strike last night when trying to qualify for an individual event at the world championships.

Horton (8:01.30) swam nearly 10 seconds outside the qualifying time in the 800m freestyle when a distant third.