Tasmanian swimmer Max Giuliani has become the second-fastest Australian in history to complete the 200m freestyle, narrowly missing the record by just milliseconds.
Giuliani, 20, swam a time of 1:44.79 during the 4×200-metre event at the Queensland state championships on Tuesday.
The remarkable swim placed him with the second-fastest time ever achieved by an Australian swimmer.
The current record, standing at 1:44.06, was set by Ian Thorpe in 2001 during the World Aquatic Championships in Japan.
Giuliani broke the Queensland state record set by Clyde Lewis back in 2019 and Thorpe’s individual 200m Queensland All-Comers 2002 record of 1.45.09.
His next ambitious goal is to break Thorpe’s long-standing Australian 200m freestyle record.
Last year, Giuliani made the move from Hobart to the Gold Coast to join the Miami Swim Club, where he is now focusing on qualifying for the Paris Summer Olympics next year.
