[ Photo Courtesy: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports ]
In Epic Showdown, Ariarne Titmus Dispatches Katie Ledecky To Become Aussie Golden Girl BY JOHN LOHN - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
H
ype is – and always will be – a major element of the sports world. Rivalries are built up, with the media and fans alike eager to witness a moment in history. Frequently, these much-anticipated showdowns unfold as duds, the actual event unable to live up to lofty and sometimes unrealistic expectations.
Earning the bronze medal was China’s Li Bingjie, who went 4:01.08, with Canadian 14-year-old Summer McIntosh finishing fourth and just off the podium in 4:02.42. But this race was about Titmus and Ledecky, and they provided a spectacular show that figures to be replayed for years to come.
Occasionally, though, something special is produced.
“It is the biggest thing you can pull off in your sporting career, so I’m over the moon,” Titmus said. “I’m trying to contain it as much as I can. I have a big program ahead of me, but I can enjoy this afterward.”
On the second day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the final of the women’s 400-meter freestyle earned legendary-event status, as Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and American Katie Ledecky battled in an epic duel that will go down in Olympic lore. Ultimately, it was Titmus who prevailed, as she ran down Ledecky over the last 100 meters and touched the wall in 3:56.69, the second-fastest time in history. Ledecky, who had the lead for most of the race, clocked in at 3:57.36, the No. 4 all-time performance, but not quite quick enough to retain her Olympic crown. 16
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An argument can be made that the women’s 400 freestyle was the can’t-wait-to-watch women’s event heading into the Tokyo Games, pushed for that distinction only by the 100 backstroke. Yet, the head-to-head nature of Ledecky vs. Titmus made that clash slightly more enticing, as the sporting world loves its individualized rivalries. More, there was history between the distance aces.
