Ariarne Titmus defends 400m freestyle title with Paris Olympics Gold

Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, aged 17, secured the silver medal, while Katie Ledecky from the United States claimed the bronze. All three medalists have either held or currently hold world records.

Titmus expressed her joy at achieving the desired outcome and feeling honored to compete alongside renowned swimmers like Katie.

She emphasized her admiration for Ledecky as an athlete and clarified that there is no rivalry beyond the races, showing respect for her both professionally and personally.

This medal marked a significant achievement for the young talent McIntosh, who previously finished fourth in Tokyo at the age of 14 and held the world record for four months until Titmus reclaimed it.

Ledecky, a gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and a silver medalist in Tokyo, now boasts a total of 11 Olympic medals, including seven golds.

Titmus maintained the lead throughout the race, initially challenging Ledecky and then facing a strong competition from McIntosh in the final 100 meters.

Although Titmus was on pace to break the world record at the first turn and the 250-meter mark, her final time of three minutes and 57.49 seconds fell short of her own record of 3:55.38 set in Fukuoka, Japan, last year.

McIntosh finished 0.88 seconds behind Titmus, with Ledecky closing the race at 4:00.86.

The 2004 Athens Olympics saw the epic men's "Race of the Century," where Australian Ian Thorpe took gold in the 200m free ahead of Dutchman Pieter Van Den Hoogenband and the United States' Michael Phelps. The race came with massive hype and expectations that proved impossible to live up to.

Titmus, who is unbeaten over the distance since 2019, 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.

I definitely felt it, and the Olympics is different. It's not like anything else and it's not about how fast you go. It's about getting a hand on the wall first."

Ledecky, rated one of the sport's all-time greats, said, "We knew it was going to be a great race going in, so many great competitors in that field. I knew it would be tough and everyone in that field put up a great race.

Summer swam really really well, I haven't looked at how the whole race broke down, I could only see it from my lane but kudos to them on some great races."

Titmus, her fingernails painted gold, stepped out onto the pool deck relaxed, smiling and waving to the raucous crowd, while Ledecky and McIntosh were emotionless and stern.

The Australian led all the way, fighting Ledecky initially but then McIntosh over the last 100, before getting to the wall first to become just the second woman and the first since Martha Norelius (1924, 1928) to win the event twice.