NANTERRE, France (news agencies) — It was billed as one of the most anticipated races of the Paris Olympics.
Ariarne Titmus turned it into a blowout.
Titmus left Katie Ledecky in her wake on a raucous opening night at La Defense Arena, leading from start to finish to win the 400-meter freestyle Saturday.
Titmus, the Australian star known as “Terminator,” handed Ledecky a second straight Olympic defeat in an event the American won at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
With her fingernails painted Aussie yellow, Titmus strolled on deck with the confidence of a reigning champion, flashing a big smile and waving to the fans.
Titmus knew she was the swimmer to the beat, even with one of the greatest ever in the lane next to her.
Then, she went out and proved it.
Titmus actually faced her stiffest challenge from Canadian 17-year-old phenom Summer McIntosh but won comfortably in 3 minutes, 57.49 seconds.
McIntosh claimed the silver in 3:58.37. Ledecky wasn’t even close, settling for bronze in 4:00.86.
“My legs are a bit tired, but I’m just relieved more than anything,” Titmus 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 of it.”
Ledecky, 27, remains at six individual gold medals in her brilliant career, still the most of any female swimmer in Olympic history.
But, she couldn’t find the speed to chase down Titmus.
“I just didn’t have it on the last 200 or 250 that way I wanted to,” Ledecky said. “I felt like my first 150 was pretty good. I went out with the field and felt like I was within striking distance. I just couldn’t kick in into that next gear that I would have wanted to finish it out.”
The Australian women also claimed their fourth straight gold medal in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay to gain an early edge on their American rivals, but the U.S. capped the night on a high when Caeleb Dressel anchored the men’s team to victory in the 4×100 free relay.
It was the eighth medal of Dressel’s career — all of them gold. He won five of those at the Tokyo Games, and he could be setting up for another glittering haul in the City of Lights.
On deck after the medal ceremony, Dressel embraced his 5-month-old son, August, with tears streaming down his face. It was an especially satisfying moment for a generational swimmer who fell out of love with his sport after Tokyo, leading him to take an extended break.
“It takes me back to my first gold,” the 27-year-old Dressel said. “It really doesn’t get old.”
Titmus. 23, now has three individual Olympic victories on her growing resume. She swept the 200 and 400 free in Tokyo and is favored to pull off the same double in Paris.
Ledecky isn’t done yet, either. She skipped a chance to face Titmus again in the 200 free, but the American is favored to take gold in both the 800 and 1,500.
And McIntosh? She’s going to be a familiar face in the coming week, as well. She’s the world-record holder in the 400 individual medley and had two races on opening night, returning to swim on Canada’s relay team that finished fourth.
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