O'Connell earns chance to conjure a shock in Magic Box
Sydney's Chris O'Connell has earned himself an inviting shy at Taylor Fritz in the Madrid Open, hoping to conjure up a sensation in the 'Magic Box' with the American world no.4 a potentially vulnerable target after his 2025 injury woes.
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The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
‘Something special': McIntosh's stunning run continues with second world record in three days
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh's breathtaking run has continued in the pool with a second world record in three days. Just two days after the 18-year-old took down Australian star Ariarne Titmus' 400m freestyle world record, McIntosh smashed Katinka Hosszu's 200m individual medley world record that had stood for a decade, becoming the first female to go under two minutes and six seconds in the four-lap event. McIntosh, swimming at the Canadian trials ahead of next month's world championships in Singapore, slashed 0.86 seconds off her lifetime best to record a time of 2:05.70 in front of an ecstatic home crowd. 'Overall really happy with that time,' McIntosh said. 'Always keep trying to push forward. It gives me a lot of confidence heading into Singapore.' McIntosh also told CBC: 'I knew going into trials I could do something special. There's definitely a lot more I can achieve here. I'm motivated to put some good times down.' McIntosh is now the world record holder in three individual events; the 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley. Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom is the only other woman to hold three individual longcourse swimming records (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly). Earlier in the week, McIntosh almost broke Katie Ledecky's 800m freestyle world record, coming within 0.95 seconds of the American legend's personal best of 8:04.12.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Something special': McIntosh's stunning run continues with second world record in three days
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh's breathtaking run has continued in the pool with a second world record in three days. Just two days after the 18-year-old took down Australian star Ariarne Titmus' 400m freestyle world record, McIntosh smashed Katinka Hosszu's 200m individual medley world record that had stood for a decade, becoming the first female to go under two minutes and six seconds in the four-lap event. McIntosh, swimming at the Canadian trials ahead of next month's world championships in Singapore, slashed 0.86 seconds off her lifetime best to record a time of 2:05.70 in front of an ecstatic home crowd. 'Overall really happy with that time,' McIntosh said. 'Always keep trying to push forward. It gives me a lot of confidence heading into Singapore.' McIntosh also told CBC: 'I knew going into trials I could do something special. There's definitely a lot more I can achieve here. I'm motivated to put some good times down.' McIntosh is now the world record holder in three individual events; the 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley. Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom is the only other woman to hold three individual longcourse swimming records (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly). Earlier in the week, McIntosh almost broke Katie Ledecky's 800m freestyle world record, coming within 0.95 seconds of the American legend's personal best of 8:04.12.
7NEWS
11 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Olympic gold medallists Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan make sad admission after post-Paris realisation
Kaylee McKeown was in a dark place. And Mollie O'Callaghan suddenly realised she had no friends outside of her sport. They were two lost souls after swimming in the fish-bowl of the Paris Olympics. 'Coming off the Olympics, I was in a really dark place mentally,' McKeown said. 'When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again.' In Paris, McKeown became the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals. And the first swimmer to successfully defend Olympic 100m and 200m backstroke titles was given the honour of being Australia's joint flag-bearer at the closing ceremony. McKeown, who also won a silver and two bronze in the French capital, was an Olympic legend. All within three weeks of turning 23 years old. 'I don't think people really know ... how much pressure we put on ourselves,' McKeown said in Adelaide at Australia's selection trials for the world championships starting late July. 'You're just so fixated on wanting to swim for yourself, for your country and for your team. 'You have all that amount of pressure to just do it ... and it (winning or not) really just comes down to nail bites.' McKeown arrived in Paris with her 100m backstroke world record just broken by American rival Regan Smith. O'Callaghan arrived in Paris with her 200m freestyle world record just broken by fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus. 'I'm the exact same as Kaylee,' O'Callaghan said. 'There's immense pressure to perform at the Olympic Games, it's the pinnacle of our sport. 'A lot of it is ourselves that put the pressure on because we know the work that goes behind it. 'Not a lot of people get to see the training sessions, the time, the dedication put in, because we don't really have a life outside of swimming - it's just all swimming.' O'Callaghan won three gold medals, plus a silver and bronze, to be Australia's most successful athlete at the Paris Games. All within four months of turning 20 years old. But after the Olympic high, came the low. 'I noticed I don't have friends outside of swimming because I have dedicated such a strong amount of time from school to now,' O'Callaghan said. McKeown and O'Callaghan soon realised they needed extended breaks from the pool. 'It was just letting my hair down, having some fun and realising the hard work that I actually have put in over the years to get what I have,' McKeown said. O'Callaghan discovered there was a life out of the water. 'That was something after the Olympics I got to learn, was actually having that freedom for five months to be able to go places, do things, without the consequence of swimming or having swimming in the back of my mind,' she said. 'And it's just a nice refresher to know that there's opportunities and there's other connections outside (swimming) because a lot of the time our bubble is just swimming.' If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
