2024-07-27 21:35:56
From our Chlorinated Water Special Correspondent:
It’s the first night of swimming and it’s already one of the most anticipated events of the week in the women’s meet. Can seven-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky (27) of the United States successfully regain her status in the 400m freestyle? ? The answer is no. This is not surprising.
Because today, Ariarne Titmus (23) is building an empire from afar. Already a world champion in 2019 at the age of 18, the Australian really came to prominence in the world during the Tokyo Olympics, toppling her elders at the end of one of the most beautiful races in the story of distance. . She was crowned again as the world record holder at the 2023 World Championships, and she confirmed this Saturday in Paris that she will almost no longer compete with American players.
“It’s truly an honor to play this game with him again. I really admire her for everything she does as an athlete,” Titmus stressed in the mixed zone minutes after the game. It’s not a competition, we have a lot of respect for each other and we have a great relationship outside of the pool. » Soon after, the American legend made his appearance. “He’s swimming too fast for me,” she whispered.
McIntosh spaced bolide
In fact, Ledecky never competed, finishing behind Titmus and also behind Summer McIntosh, the last little bomb produced by the Canadian factory in 1999. At just 14 years old, he caused a sensation in Tokyo by finishing fourth in the overall distance. Today, she is a four-time world gold medalist and, despite being underage, is slowly establishing herself as the No. 2 player. The first of five works by Léon Marchand brought a lot of hope. The two young athletes were placed side by side in lanes 4 and 5, maintaining the lead in the starting area and not giving their opponents any chance to counterattack.
“Every time I swim with these girls, it’s an incredible learning opportunity for me,” the youngest of the trio said at the end of the evening. Thanks to them, I have improved a lot and they push me. It was quite surreal for me to be there, beating Katie and getting the silver medal. » This ending resonates as much as a shift in power. definite. Ariana Titmus:
« “This gold medal is a real relief because it’s not like the first time. I know what it takes to be an Olympic champion and how difficult it is to run under that kind of pressure. The noise, the atmosphere, the expectations, nothing compares to Compared to the Olympics, I’m happy to retain this title » »
Our Paris 2024 JO documents
But be careful, the battle is not over yet. Because if Ledecky can work at 400 meters, she wants to be respected at 800 meters. As a triple champion, she has a chance in Paris to become the first swimmer in history to win four gold medals in the same event. In the men’s event (200m individual medley), only Michael Phelps has achieved this feat.
Ariarne Titmus, who won silver in Japan three years ago, will try to stop him. It would be an earthquake if she could pull it off, and there’s sure to be a new legendary match thanks to these two. See you in a week, just for this revenge that has everyone salivating.
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