By Alan Baldwin
PARIS (Reuters) -Ariarne Titmus got Australia's women off to a golden start by winning a race of record breakers on a rocking opening night of the Paris Olympic swimming meet at the La Defense Arena on Saturday.
The Dolphins added another gold in the 4x100 metres freestyle relay, with Australia also taking two silvers from the four finals and with their reputation as a powerhouse of the pool as bright as ever.
Titmus set the tone by defending her 400 metres freestyle title in a huge battle with Canada's Summer McIntosh and American great Katie Ledecky.
Ledecky, gold medallist in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and silver in Tokyo in 2021, had to settle for bronze as 17-year-old sensation McIntosh secured the silver and her first Olympic medal.
The race had been compared to the epic men's 200 freestyle "Race of the Century" showdown between American Michael Phelps, Australian Ian Thorpe and Dutch giant Pieter van den Hoogenband in 2004.
The crowd were up and hollering from the start, a massive contrast to the last Games held under pandemic restrictions, and even if the drama proved to be less than promised it remained a night to savour.
"My legs are a bit tired, but I'm just relieved more than anything, I probably felt the expectation and pressure for this race more than anything in my life to be honest," said Titmus.
Ledecky, now with 11 Olympic medals, had hoped to go faster but could not complain.
"We have a lot of respect for each other and we love competing against each other, it brings the best out of each of us," she said.
"It's something special and something that we enjoy especially since we're the top three performers in that event."
Australia started with a silver when Elijah Winnington finished second to Germany's Lukas Maertens in a men's 400 metres freestyle final stacked with champions. South Korea's world champion Kim Woo-min took the bronze.
"I was right at the front the whole time and still made it to the finish. That wasn't the case in the last few years. I let myself be beaten there. Not this time," said Maertens of his first Olympic gold.
After Titmus had celebrated, the Australian women added another gold.
The quartet of Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris held off historic foes and runners-up United States in the 4x100 freestyle, while China took the bronze.
It was Australia's fourth consecutive Olympic gold in the event, but the American men denied them another with their country's first of the Games in the 4x100 freestyle relay.
Jack Alexy, Chris Giuliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel combined to beat Australia, with Italy coming third.
The gold was the eighth of Dressel's career after he bagged five in Tokyo and two in Rio.
"It takes me right back to my first gold. It really doesn't get old," said the American. "They made my job easy."
World record holder Gretchen Walsh of the United States set an Olympic record of 55.38 seconds in her 100m butterfly semi-final to get the crowd up and roaring in the first action of the evening.
Compatriot Torri Huske was fastest in the other semi-final with a time of 56.00.
Britain's Adam Peaty, seeking a third successive 100m men's breaststroke gold, powered into Sunday's final with the fastest time.
"I embrace the nerves, I love the nerves. But whatever the result tomorrow, I want to finish with a smile," he said. "I (must) give my all, with no mistakes, and I think that I can do that."
(Additional reporting by Rohith Nair, Ian Ransom and Steve Keating, editing by Hugh Lawson)
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