Titmus tops Ledecky, McIntosh to retain 400m freestyle gold – Firstpost

Paris:Ariarne Titmus dominated rivals Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh to retain her Olympic 400m freestyle title on Saturday, while Germany’s Lukas Maertens won men’s gold on the first day in the pool in Paris.

Award-winning American Ledecky was seeking revenge after the Australian dethroned her in Tokyo three years ago, but it was Titmus who once again prevailed in an electric atmosphere at La Défense Arena.

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The 23-year-old world record holder led from start to finish to reach the wall in 3 minutes 57.49 seconds and remain undefeated over the distance since 2019.

Ledecky had to settle for bronze after suffering a sharp drop in form on the final lap, adding to her tally of 10 Olympic medals, including seven gold.

Canadian teenager McIntosh took silver after overtaking the tall American to claim her first Olympic medal, having finished fourth in Tokyo at the age of 14.

“I know what it takes to be a champion and I know how difficult it is to race in these circumstances,” said Titmus, who came to Paris after swimming the second-fastest time in history last month.

“The Olympic Games are like nothing else.

“To be honest, I probably felt the anticipation and pressure for this race more than any other race in my life.”

The event was billed as a blockbuster showdown, with Titmus, Ledecky and McIntosh sharing the 27 fastest times in history.

Nicknamed “Terminator,” Titmus will also defend her 200m title after breaking the world record last month, while trying to prevent Ledecky from winning a fourth consecutive 800m gold.

Ledecky dropped the 200m from her program but will be a big favorite in the 800m and 1,500m, races she has long dominated.

“It’s a good feeling. It’s always good to win a medal for Team USA,” said Ledecky, 27.

“I would have liked to be a little faster, but I can’t complain about a medal. I knew it would be difficult.”

McIntosh is also skipping the 200m freestyle, instead focusing on the 200-400m individual medley and the 200m butterfly.

Overwhelmed

Maertens was also untouchable in the men’s 400m, running below world record pace for much of the race before fading in the final stretch to hit the mark in 3:41.78 ahead of Australia’s Elijah Winnington and South Korea’s Kim Woo-min.

“It means the world to me – you can see my progress in terms of performance… I’m extremely happy and just overwhelmed,” Maertens said.

“I can’t express in words what I feel right now.”

The German arrived in Paris more than a second faster than anyone else this season after setting the fastest time since 2012 in April, just 0.26 seconds off Paul Biedermann’s supersuit world record.

🇩🇪 Lukas MAERTENS first #Swimming Olympic champion at #Paris2024 in the 400m freestyle in 3:41.78 pic.twitter.com/PZqWPAEqAI

— World Aquatics Championship (@WorldAquatics) July 27, 2024

Australia were again unstoppable in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and remain unbeaten at the Olympics since 2012.

With a formidable team of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris, they won the race in 3:28.92, the second fastest time in history behind their own world record.

The United States won silver and China took bronze.

Led by Caeleb Dressel, the United States won the men’s 4x100m relay ahead of Australia and Italy, continuing their long domination of the event.

In the semi-finals, Adam Peaty clocked 58.86 in the 100m breaststroke, leading the way in his bid to become only the second man to win three consecutive gold medals in the same individual event after Michael Phelps.

Back in top form after a mental health break, Peaty has lowered the world record five times in an extraordinary career.

His main rival Qin Haiyang, believed to be among 23 Chinese swimmers implicated in a doping scandal that rocked the sport this year, finished second in 58.93.

American world record holder Gretchen Walsh dominated the women’s 100m butterfly semi-finals, clocking the third-fastest time in history with an impressive 55.38 seconds.

The 21-year-old broke Sarah Sjoestroem’s eight-year-old world record at the U.S. trials and now holds the three fastest times ever in the swim.

Her team-mate Torri Huske clocked the second fastest time in 56.00 seconds ahead of Tokyo silver medallist Zhang Yufei, who is also suspected of being involved in the same doping scandal as Qin.