Olympic race of the century? It’s in the lap of three 400m gods

One is the cocky boss of the pool deck, the Australian defending Olympic champion. One is the more sedate seven-time US gold medallist. And the third is the Canadian teen sensation itching to ambush her more illustrious rivals.

Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, who will defend her 400m freestyle gold medal early on Sunday (AEST). Picture: Adam Head

One is the cocky boss of the pool deck, the Australian defending Olympic champion. One is the more sedate seven-time US gold medallist. And the third is the Canadian teen sensation itching to ambush her more illustrious rivals.

Australia’s Ariarne Titmus versus America’s Katie Ledecky versus Canada’s Summer McIntosh is billed as The Race of the Century. Well, it’s up there. Great sporting rivalries feature contrasting personalities and here they all are.

Titmus is bold in her commentary about The Race of the Century. “She was constantly on my mind but honestly, not really any longer,” the 23-year-old says of Ledecky. “Because I know that my best foot forward is the best. I’m just going to do that, put my best foot forward. The 400 is day one, everyone’s going into it fresh. No-one knows what form anyone is in. For me the 400, out of all my races, I know how to race it the best.”

Ledecky is the elder stateswoman of the group. Already one of the finest swimmers in history. Unbeatable in the event until Titmus came along. “I’m a student of the sport,” Ledecky says. “I keep track of everything that’s going on around the world. Ariarne is incredible. What she did at the Australian Olympic trials and what Summer has done – it’s going to be great. It will be a really fast field and I’m looking forward to it.”

After the razzle and dazzle of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de ­Triomphe and Notre-Dame ­Cathedral, the brightest lights of summertime in Paris illuminating the Olympics’ opening ceremony like one of Monet’s oil paintings, now the real games can begin.

The rough-and-ready Boomers start their basketball campaign against Spain at 7pm (AEST) from Lille and then from one end of Paris to the other, one of the world’s greatest cities hosts the greatest show on earth, handing out gold medals on Saturday as freely as espressos and croissants. Olympic champions will be crowned in street skateboarding, road cycling, diving, fencing, judo, rugby sevens, shooting and last but not least, swimming, where the real action will be for Australia. Heats starts at 7pm (AEST), when the lead actors in the main attraction, Titmus, Ledecky and McIntosh, dip their toes into the golden pond at La Defense Arena.

You can kip for a few hours and then get up early Sunday (4.30am AEST) for the finals. Medal races in the pool will be staged in the men’s 400m freestyle, men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, women’s 4x100m freestyle relay – Australia looks deadset unbeatable – and the big one, the women’s 400m freestyle.

It’s an oil painting of a contest. Whether Titmus smashes Ledecky and McIntosh like guitars, and whether Elijah Winnington or Sam Short spring an upset in the men’s 400m freestyle and whether Emma McKeon gatecrashes the podium in the women’s 100m butterfly, opening night is likely to finish with a bang. And a gold. The good oil suggests Australia’s mighty 4x100m freestyle relay team led by Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Meg Harris and Bronte Campbell could crush the world record like the grapes going into a good bottle of merlot.

The waterworks from Jack will make the pool overflow. She was banned for two years after testing positive to a prohibited substance. She’s always maintained her absolute innocence. She wept when she qualified for the Games; she’ll cry a River Seine if she becomes an Olympic champion after fearing she would never swim again. “I just always thought of this moment and how do I make it come true?” she says.

Originally published as Olympic race of the century? It’s in the lap of three 400m gods