Australia's Ariarne Titmus has smashed the Commonwealth Games record on her way to the gold medal in the women's 400m freestyle final this evening.

Titmus led from the front throughout in a dominant display at the Optus Aquatics Centre as she picked up her fourth medal and third gold of the Games.

The 17-year-old only narrowly missed out on becoming just the third woman to break the four-minute barrier in the event, but her time of 4:00.93 still smashed the previous Games record of 4:04.47.

While Titmus's gold was rarely in doubt, there was a closer battle for second place between England duo Holly Hibbott and Eleanor Faulkner.

Hibbott - who finished fourth in the 800m freestyle and fifth in the 200m event - finally got her own individual medal by touching the wall in 4:05.31, just over two seconds in front of Faulkner.

Faulkner held on for her third bronze medal of the Games, meanwhile, adding to those she won in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays.