Paris Olympics: Ariarne Titmus hands American rival Katie Ledecky another defeat, Summer McIntosh takes silver
Ariarne Titmus made history by being the first woman to win the 400m freestyle twice in a row in nearly 100 years.
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Ariarne Titmus wins gold at Paris Olympics 400m freestyle (via Maddie Meyer/Olympic Games Paris)
The 400m freestyle is a grueling test of endurance, speed, and tactical prowess. All eyes were on the intense rivalry between Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky to see who would prevail this time. The event ended in a much closer race than the previous one at the Tokyo Olympics, with the Australian coming out on top of the field.
Ariarne Titmus held off Summer McIntosh down the stretch to bag first place, clocking in at 3:57.49. The Canadian emerged with the silver medal, and Ledecky started her stint at the Paris Olympics with a bronze. This makes Titmus, only the second woman in Olympic history to win the event twice. The last instance of such a feat occurred for the first time way back in 1928 by Martha Norelius.
Titmus led the race at the 100m mark while the 16x swimming world title holder was trailing behind in 4th place. She kept her lead through the halfway mark and to the finish line to clinch the event. Immediately after the race, she went over to Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky to congratulate them on a great race.
The Australian was the reigning Olympic champion heading into Paris and successfully defended her crown this year. She also holds the World Record in the 400m freestyle, which she set three years ago in Tokyo.
This bronze medal by Ledecky marked the American’s 11th Olympic medal. She has been a fierce competitor to the Australian throughout both their careers and will surely be looking for revenge at the 800m freestyle next Saturday.
Ariarne Titmus delivers an emotional speech after winning
Following the race, Titmus said winning the medal felt completely different from winning it the first time. She emphasized the challenging racing circumstances at the Olympics, claiming that the noise and atmosphere make it tough to perform at the highest level. She was glad to be able to hold her nerves and come out on top.
The Tasmanian-born swimmer felt like she was just a normal girl who liked swimming. She had been given the opportunity to represent her country and made sure to have fun along the way. The 23-year-old called herself a goofy Taffie girl out there living her dream, and she didn’t want people to look at her any differently.
I can’t really believe that’s me to be honest. I just look at myself and I’m so normal. I just love swimming, love getting out and representing our country and having fun. I hope no-one looks at me any differently. I’m just the same old goofy Tassie girl, out here living out her dream.
Ariarne Titmus said in the post-event interview
Ariarne Titmus hoped that her achievements sent a message that anyone could do what they wanted if they worked hard enough and believed in themselves. She was simply a girl from Launceston, a town with no more than 90,00 people. Yet, she was living her dream and wanted to inspire young kids at home.
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Mokshit Batra
(1401 Articles Published)