Team USA legend Katie Ledecky could only settle for bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle as Australian rival Ariarne Titmus defended her Olympic title. The United States and Australia have developed a fierce swimming rivalry that burst into the open earlier this year.
On Saturday in Paris’ La Defense Arena, Titmus left Ledecky in her wake and led from start to finish to win gold. Canda’s 17-year-old star Summer McIntosh was her stiffest competition, but Titmus controlled the race to win while the teen claimed silver.
The win will ultimately frustrate Olympic legend Michael Phelps. Ahead of the Games, Phelps watched a video of Australian swimmer Cate Campbell admitting her extreme dislike of hearing the American national anthem as she discussed how much she loves defeating the United States.
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In the full video clip, Campbell described American swimmers as “such, such, sore losers” before Phelps had his say. The 23-time gold medallist looked into the camera and said: “If somebody said that to me, I would lose it. I would literally make them eat every word they just said about me. Because people have done it... Chad le Clos, Ian Thorpe, you guys have all talked - about me, and I had the last laugh.
“So for the Americans, if you see what I just saw, and that is the first time I have watched that... I would watch that thing every single day to give me that little extra bit of mmph. That's awesome.”
However, Phelps’ pep talk didn’t work on Ledecky, who came up short against Titmus as the Australians landed the first swimming blow in these Olympics. But the 27-year-old - a six-time individual Olympic champion - is favored to win the 800m and 1,500m events.
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Titmis, known as “The Terminator”, handed Ledecky a second straight Olympic defeat in an event the American won at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. After the event, Ledecky said: “It's always good to get a medal for Team USA . I wanted to be a little faster but can't complain with the medal.”
She added: “It felt a little faster than that. Probably the top three would all say that we would have liked to have been a little faster, but again the Olympics is all about racing, all about getting your hand on the wall for a gold or silver or bronze. I'm happy I got my hand on the wall for a medal.”
Titmus entered the event as the heavy favorite. Unbeaten in the 400m free on the international stage since 2018, Titmus has broken the world record twice and beat Ledecky by 3 seconds the last time they raced and, flashing yellow fingernails, the Australian won comfortably in three minutes, 57.49 seconds. McIntosh claimed the silver in 3:58.37 while Ledecky settled for bronze in 4:00.86.
“My legs are a bit tired, but I'm just relieved more than anything,” Titmus said. “I probably felt the expectation and pressure for this race more than anything in my life, to be honest, and I'm pretty good at handling the pressure of it.”
The 23-year-old now has three individual Olympic gold medals after she swept the 200 and 400 free in Tokyo. She is looking for history to repeat itself in Paris.
“I’m just happy to get the result for myself and I feel so honored to be a part of the race and be alongside legends like Katie,” Titmus said. “I look up to her so much as an athlete and it's certainly not a rivalry beyond the races. I really respect her as a person.”
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