Aussie teen stuns Olympic champ in freestyle final

Australian teen Sam Short has stunned Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui to claim the men’s 400m freestyle title at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.

Short swam an incredible 3:40.68 to edge out the Tunisian star by 0.02 seconds in a thrilling finish. Germany’s Lukas Martens finished third with a time of 3:42.20.

“It’s bloody amazing,” he told Nine after the race.

READ MORE: AFL contacted over ‘disgusting’ messages

READ MORE: Marnus ton, awful weather combats England’s victory push

READ MORE: Storm star cops heavy ban in chaotic night

“I knew it was going to be a race in two with 100m left and he was the defending Olympic champion.

“I kind of got goosebumps knowing I was in a race with him and got my hand on the wall first. It’s a dream come true and hasn’t really sunk in yet. I claimed it and it feels good to flex in front of everyone.”

The win capped off an incredible 12 months for Short, who had a melanoma removed from his back last year.

”I’ve bounced back from last year amazing,” he said.

“All the struggles I went through last year, this is nothing compared to that really. I’m just enjoying the hard work I’ve put in the bank and I’m loving every bit of it.”

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!

Tokyo Olympics 2021: Australia’s swimming gold medallists at this century’s Games