A generationn Rio de Janeiro war Katie Ledkey After passing 8 lanes in a 50-meter pool, you will reach the finish line faster. Her world record for freestyle swimming over 400 meters at that time, 3:56.46 minutes, has been maintained to this day when she won one of the four gold medals in Brazil. In Tokyo on Monday, Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky from Washington, DC was faster than ever, except for the time in Rio: 3:57.36.
“Fifty-three, this is an incredible moment,” Ariarne Titmus said. She must know. She swam behind Ledkey. She is swimming next to Ledki. Then she swam to Ledkey. Ariarne Titmus swims faster than Katie Ledecky. Ariarne Titmus was born in Launceston, Tasmania about 21 years ago, and was the first woman to win a solo competition with Katie Ledecky at the Olympics.
Ariarne Titmus was later told that in Australia, the country had inspired a large part of its sporting pride through the victory of swimmers over the Americans, and public life stalled for nearly four minutes on Monday. At St. Peter’s Lutheran College, an old school in Indooroopilly, Queensland, students in the auditorium watch the radio. “Being a part of this story makes me very humble,” the winner said in a press conference after the game.
Katie Ledecky won 15 world championship titles between 2013 and 2019. But in Gwangju, at the World Championships two years ago, Katie Ledecky lost the 400m race. In order to get sports opportunities, Ariarne Titmus, a young Australian who moved to Queensland with his parents, played against him. So, on Monday morning, Katie Ledecky asked some questions as she headed to the start of Tokyo Runway 4. She is 24 years old this year. At the American Trials in Omaha, Nebraska in June, she won a victory that she could have won-but the times raised a question that now plagues her: that is still the invincible Katie Ledkey? Or is that an old Lederkey?
Next to her, in the fifth lane, is Titmus, 20 years old. Bingjie Li, China, 19. Isabel Gose, Germany, 19. Erika Fairweather, New Zealand, 17. Muhan Tang, China, 17. Summer McIntosh, Canada, 14. Nine years ago, he won the first Olympic gold medal in Stratford, younger than Ledecky at the Aquatic Center.
Start. McIntosh was the fastest to complete the first turn. Then Ledkey took over. She is old. She pulled away. Leading by half a second after 150 meters. Six out of ten after more than 200. Ledecky leads, supreme. Titmus’s head is flush with Ledecky’s feet. But the lead no longer grows. “I know I am behind,” Titums will say later. “I got closer in the fifth lane.” She was mistaken. The lead in the fifth round is as great as in the fourth round: 66%. Then, then Ariarne Titmus approached. Quickly. very fast. Between 250 and 300 meters, she stole Ledecky for half a second.
Ledki said later that she had watched 300 meters. I saw it: “Oh, that’s it.” Titums remembered: “At 350 meters, we were tied together.” This is also not true. She leads. Twenty-two percent. There are fifty yards left. Titmus leads, but Ledecky is still undefeated. She didn’t plan to let Titmus change this. Ledkey doesn’t look at Titmos, nor does Titmos look at Ledkey. They breathed separately, Titmus on the left and Ledecky on the right, like a couple fighting before turning off the lights at night. It’s getting darker now, and so are swimmers.
Now this is a game that people will talk about in a few years. Woman vs. Woman. All the way to the wall. Timoth goes on strike. Ledkey strikes. Timothy won. 3: 56.69 minutes. TV viewers know it. Ariarne Titmus didn’t know. Her coach Dean Bokhol has been telling her for years that she must break the world record to beat Ledkey. This is not true. Titmus looked left, turned his head, and saw the scoreboard. See the number next to her name. The brain shuts down. “I saw that, not time, and thought: Whatever.” It doesn’t matter. Olympic champion. Defeat Ledji.
In the stands, coach Boxall was driven by endorphins. Like an ascetic monk, like a rock star, he swept across the team, his long golden hair hovering, and for a while, he seemed to want to mate on the plexiglass wall. The video immediately spread all over the world. Li crossed the finish line in third place. Four and a half seconds after Timoth. Isabel Goss finished sixth. And Katie Ledkey? Was defeated.
And also satisfied. Very satisfied. Only once did she swim 400 meters faster than this competition. “I swam a great game,” she said afterwards. “I haven’t been that fast for five years. This is a good sign for the upcoming race.” 200, 800, 1500 meters: Ledeckey plans to play three more individual matches. On Monday night, eight hours after the final, she will return to the pool for two preliminaries. Ariarne Titmus will start the 200m and 800m freestyle. Wednesday’s 200m freestyle finals should continue.
