Paris 2024: Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh in race of the century

The best swimming race at the Tokyo Olympics is shaping up to be even better in Paris. But instead of two bona fide superstars going head to head, this time there’s three with a rising star.

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It’s on again.

The best swimming race at the Tokyo Olympics is shaping up to be even better in Paris.

Instead of two bona fide superstars going head to head, this time there’s three with rising Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh joining Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and American legend Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400m freestyle in the early hours of Sunday July 27 (Australian time).

McIntosh was in the water in the same race at Tokyo too, but she was only 14 at the time and finished a creditable fourth.

She’s still a teenager but now she has four world titles, a world record and an insatiable appetite to show the world she can win the most mouth-watering showdown in the French capital.

This is already a golden era for Australian swimming but nothing beats a ding-dong rivalry when the stakes are at their highest with Olympic gold on offer.

The reason is luck and timing.

Of course, there have been plenty of showstopping races over the ages but rarely have the stars aligned so perfectly to allow the past, present and future to come together at the same point in time.

USA’s Katie Ledecky, Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh will face off in the race of the century.

Aged 27, Ledecky is the oldest of the trio and also the most decorated, with seven Olympic gold medals, including the 400m freestyle at Rio in 2016, when she broke her own world record.

Titmus, 23, is the one to beat though. She won the gold in Tokyo and regained her world title from McIntosh in winning her second world title last year.

As the youngest one of the trio, McIntosh is the X-factor because she’s doing things no-one has seen before.

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A double world champion in 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley, she’s the second fastest women in history over 400m freestyle, clocking times that are 10 seconds faster than what Titmus was doing at the same age and five second quicker than Ledecky.

The key to McIntosh’s phenomenal success is that she goes out like a rocket, dipping under 30 seconds for each of her fast five laps, and hangs tight to the final wall.

But she crumbled when the pressure was applied late at last year’s world championships, finishing out of the medals, prompting speculation she might flop again in Paris, though not from Titmus.

Ariarne Titmus is not taking her 400m freestyle rivals lightly. Picture: Adam Head

“It would be stupid of me to think she’s going to swim the same that she did at worlds at the Olympics. I think that her not having the race she wanted at worlds, probably was a good thing for her, it’s probably going to push her even more,” the Australian said.

“I definitely cannot underestimate her. She’s just such a talented, gifted swimmer across so many different events.

“It was the first race of the meet and there was so much more expectation on her for that 400m freestyle than her other races and I just think it was maybe a learning curve for her to deal with that pressure.”

Ledecky’s best time for the 400m was set eight years ago, but she’s still the master of pacing herself perfectly, able to maintain an identical stroke rate through the back half of the race when fatigue sets in.

She hasn’t beaten Titmus over the distance Pan Pacs, but the Terminator has developed a greater appreciation for what the American has achieved in winning gold medals across three Olympics after experiencing first-hand the heightened expectation that comes with doing it once.

Katie Ledecky‘s best 400m freestyle time was set eight years ago but she remains a master of pacing herself perfectly. Picture: Getty Images

“I know what has happened in my life since Tokyo. It’s changed astronomically,” Titmus said.

“And I think about her winning her first Olympic gold when she was 15 in London and going through the post Olympic highs and then going through the prep again for Rio and then swimming out of her skin in Rio and then going through all the post-Olympic celebrations from Rio and then going through her prep again for Tokyo.

“I just cannot believe the longevity at the high level that she’s had. I know how difficult it has been to navigate my life post Olympics managing training and expectations from other people and external things in my life now that are just taking up time.

“I don’t think many people appreciate how tough it is to stay at the top for that period of time, especially when there’s people coming along.”

Canada’s Summer McIntosh, pictured with 200m IM gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, is the x-factor in this race. Picture: Getty Images

An old fashioned scrapper, Titmus saves her best for last, able to reel off closing laps at faster speeds than her two main rivals. She’s also hinted Paris might possibly be her last Olympics, or at least her last when she’s at her absolute best.

“I just know within myself I have unfinished business. I don’t believe I’ve reached my peak in the sport,” she said.

“I believe I’ve got more to give and I think the Paris Olympics will be my best opportunity to hone in on that and peak.

“I’ll be nearly 24, I think I would have had eight years of experience in the national team. I think it’s going to be the meet to really swim the best I possibly can.”

Originally published as Paris 2024: Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh in race of the century