Tokyo Olympics 2021: Ariarne Titmus wins gold in 400m freestyle
Katie Ledecky’s killer instinct has made her unstoppable in the pool — until Ariarne Titmus. Here’s how our newest golden girl dethroned the US champion.
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It was her heart that won Ariarne Titmus the most precious prize in world sport and a permanent place in the heart of all Australians.
When the moment of truth arrived and every muscle in her body was aching and her lungs were burning so much that she just wanted to scream, the Terminator’s ticker got her to the wall first.
A whole nation, desperate for something to feel good about in the middle of Covid chaos, was willing her to win. And she answered the call.
“I feel nice that I can put on a bit of a show for them and bring some joy to their lounge rooms,” she said after winning the 400m freestyle gold.
“I feel like people back home will enjoy this moment so I’m really happy I brought some joy to the country during a tough time.”
All the lessons and advice that her coaches and friends and family have drilled into her since she was a child dreaming of winning an Olympic gold medal didn’t mean a thing once she found herself in a dogfight with the great Katie Ledecky.
The American never loses close races because she’s got the killer instinct and everyone she races against just chucks in the towel the moment she puts the pressure on.
But Titmus just isn’t like other swimmers.
“To beat a great champion, that makes it even more satisfying,” Titmus said.
“She has done unbelievable things for this sport, especially middle distance swimming and I’m very grateful to have her to race.”
The Tasmanian will tell you herself that she is not the most naturally talented swimmer in the world, so everything she has achieved has come from old-fashioned hard work and the sheer will to win.
In Australia, we call that guts and Titmus needed all of hers because winning gold medals at the Olympics is the ultimate test of mind, body and character. Trailing by a body length at the halfway mark, Titmus had halved the gap by the 300m mark and got her nose in front when they turned for the final lap, but that was when the real race was starting.
Like the fifth set of a grand slam tennis final, or the back nine for the Masters at Augusta National, or when the Melbourne Cup field runs into the Flemington straight for the last time, it’s always the finish where legends are made. And that’s when the whole of Australia just cheered for Titmus that little bit louder.
“I was just a little girl who started swimming who had a big dream,” she said on Monday.
“I tried to think about that this morning when I woke up I just have to go out there and swim and that is why I’m here. I do feel pressure but I feel like I do a good job of eating it all up.”
Titmus’ mum Robyn, who had to watch the race in Australia surrounded by family and friends, summed up the sentiment after the wins. “God she can race,’’ the overwhelmed mum said. “I’m just so proud of her. That 100m, the last hundred. God she can race.’’
Australian swimming has been blessed with so many great moments and champions over the years but Titmus’ win over Ledecky already stands alongside the best of them.
It’s up there with Ian Thorpe anchoring the relay to win at Sydney in 2000 and Kieren Perkins winning in Atlanta in 1996 from the outside lane and Dawn Fraser winning her third 100m freestyle gold in Tokyo in 1964 and all the other great moments from swimmers wearing the green and gold togs. Titmus has earned her place but the hard work isn’t finished yet. She’s only just beginning.
“Swimming in Australia has a great history at the Olympics so to be part of that now I feel very humbled and honoured,” Titmus said.
“It is the biggest thing you can pull off in your sporting career, so I’m over the moon. I’m trying to contain it as much as I can because I’ve got a big program ahead of me. I can enjoy this afterwards.”
AUSTRALIA’S TERMINATOR WINS OLYMPIC BATTLE FOR AGES
Australia’s Ariarne Titmus has done it.
The Terminator has beaten American swimming superstar Katie Ledecky to win Australia’s second gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Billed as the biggest rivalry of the Games, the Australian got the job done in the women’s 400m freestyle final when she stopped the clock at three minutes 56.69 seconds, just 0.23 outside of Ledecky’s five year-old world record.
Ledecky won the silver medal in 3:57.36 after leading for the first 300m while the bronze went to China’s Li Bingjie.
Titmus said she was “over the moon” following her stunning victory.
Titmus waiting until the 250m mark to make her move to defeat Ledecky, swimming the second fastest time in history in the women's 400 free.#Swimming#Tokyo2020pic.twitter.com/UPW2vQ47ES
— InsightLane (@insightlane) July 26, 2021
She conceded she felt “a little bit worried” at the 200m mark, and knew that Ledecky would be fighting at that point.
“Nobody is going to come to the Olympics, especially Katie Ledecky, unprepared. I just tried to stay as composed as I could,” Titmus said.
She had thanks Ledecky, who had set an “incredible standard”.
“All credit to her for the swimmer she is,” Titmus said.
“I’ve been trying to chase her. Really exciting now we have this battle going. It’s really fun to race.”
She also thanked her family who had moved to Brisbane for her to train, saying without them, “none of this would be possible”.
“Not just my parents my sister, my boyfriend my entire family and cousins and their partners and my aunty and her partner up in Noosa as well. Big support around me. I couldn’t do it without them.”
Ledecky, who said she had “fought tooth and nail”, was not disappointed that she didn’t win the gold and thought the pair had “delivered a great race”.
“I can’t be disappointed with that swim,” Ledecky said. “I fought. And swam my second fastest time so I can’t be disappointed with that.”
“I thank her (Titmus) a lot. I really respect her and we’ve moved forward together.”
Titmus is the first Australia woman to win the 400m Olympic gold since Shane Gould in 1972.
The 20-year-old is also the favourite to win the 200m freestyle and the women’s 4x200m relay.
‘THAT WAS ONE OF THE GREAT WINS
Swim legend Dawn Fraser was reduced to tears today as she lauded Ariane Titmus’ gold medal as one of Australia’s greatest Olympic pool triumphs.
“It is top of the class,’’ said Fraser, who rose from her seat at the parents party in Noosa to cheer Titmus home in her rousing victory over American superstar Katie Ledecky.
“I certainly had tears in my eyes. That was one of the great wins. I liked the fact she swam her own race.
“It was the 400m and she beat the world record holder and to come out and do it at a young age in her first Olympic says a lot about her and our Dolphins.
“She is very cool. I like her perseverance. She swims her own race and does not get distracted.’’
Tracey Stockwell, a three time gold medallist for the United States at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was also at the parents hub and similarly impressed.
“Amazing,’’ Stockwell said.
“It was always like replay of the world championships where she did the same thing. I knew Ariarne had the speed but I thought Katie might have had the endurance.
“But she stuck to her race plan beautifully. She is such a racer.’’
Former Olympian and experienced coach Andrew Baildon was also impressed by the way Titmus stuck to her game plan.
“She just showed enormous maturity to stick to her own plan,’’ Baildon said.
“That takes a lot because racing someone like Katie Ledecky can be very daunting.
“And yet she didn’t panic or change her plan even though she was behind and held something back for the end of the race. And she even went up and eyeballed Ledecky at the end of the race.’’
Stockwell added: “That was very interesting because Katie would not be used to it happening. Normally Katie would be well out in front by then.’
Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Ariarne Titmus wins gold in 400m freestyle
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