James Magnussen tips Ariarne Titmus to overtake Ian Thorpe as Australia’s greatest ever swimmer

Ariarne Titmus is on track to become Australia’s greatest ever swimmer - even better than Ian Thorpe - says JAMES MAGNUSSEN.

Ariarne Titmus is on track to become Australia’s greatest ever swimmer — better than Ian Thorpe. If Ariarne was around for the Sydney 2000 Olympics she would be one of, if not the, biggest name athletes in Australia. The landscape of swimming has changed a lot over the 24 years since Sydney.

Ian Thorpe was a national hero, his face was everywhere before the Sydney Olympics and he heralded a new era for the Dolphins that led to commercial opportunities and made the swim team popular beyond belief.

I talk to people who don’t really know swimming — but they know about Ariarne Titmus. And because she is such a proven performer they just expect she will win.

It is very rare you ever go to the Olympics and just assume someone will win a gold medal. Not since Thorpe has the Australian public just expected it to happen. People are banking on Ariarne.

People need to understand that and get as excited about Ariarne in this 400m freestyle on Day One as they did when Ian Thorpe had the entire country stop to watch him win gold. That is the time we are living in now, it would be great to see it reflected in television audiences, media coverage and exposure for Ariarne who is a once in a generation athlete.

Titmus shocks Katie Ledecky win the 400m Freestyle at Tokyo. Picture: Xavier Laine/Getty Images

What makes Ariarne’s story and legacy even greater than anything Ian Thorpe achieved is that she had to take down Katie Ledecky, arguably the greatest women’s swimmer the world has ever seen.

Ledecky was a five-time Olympic gold medallist, 14-times world champion and triple world record holder when Ariarne beat her at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

She was simply untouchable in the 400m freestyle - much like Thorpe in his day. And Titmus dominated her on the world’s biggest stage and has not lost to her since.

Thorpe never had the same hurdle to overcome in his 400m. He raced Grant Hackett, who was obviously great, but there was no dominant figure before he arrived.

Ian Thorpe celebrating after winning the 400m freestyle at Sydney in 2000.

Whereas Ledecky is the GOAT of women’s swimming who has slaughtered world records unlike anyone before her. If these Olympics were in Sydney, the 400m freestyle on night one would be the most box office sporting event of the Games. If this race was at Brisbane 2032, it would be the race that stops the nation.

Everything about Ariarne mirrors Thorpie. He was a 200m and 400m freestyle Olympic champion, world champion and world record holder. So is she.

Thorpe won back-to-back 400m freestyle Olympic titles in Sydney and Athens, but a silver medal in the 200m freestyle in Sydney was the only thing that stopped him having back-to-back double golds.

If Ariarne wins the 400m freestyle, she will join Dawn Fraser as the only Australian woman to win back-to-back gold medals.

If she wins both the 400m and 200m freestyle, she will be the first Australian athlete to win back-to-back double gold and have the most individual gold medals of any Aussie athlete. It is the same historic opportunity that awaits backstroker Kaylee McKeown, but courtesy of the schedule Arnie would be the first.

Mentally she is just unflappable and what I love about her is that she is not afraid to put it out there and take on a one-on-one battle.

So many swimmers when it comes to their biggest competitor or big race they talk only about focusing on themselves or their own race plan and ignoring their competition, but Ariarne has never backed down from that rivalry with Katie Ledecky.

Mentally as an athlete she is just savage.

That is what makes her so exciting to watch. You know she is there to win. At no point is she just happy to be there and be part of the team.

We all know Ariarne is there to win and there to beat Katie Ledecky and that is what we love about her.