2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
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- Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet
What many thought wasn’t possible just happened at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, as American freestyle icon Katie Ledecky suffered her first individual event loss at a Games.
In the women’s 400m freestyle final, the multi-gold medalist and prolific world champion fell at the hands of Australian Ariarne Titmus, the 20-year-old Tasmanian who just unleashed the fastest performance of her career on the world’s biggest stage.
Titmus hit the wall in a mighty mark of 3:56.69 to top the podium in one of the most anticipated races of this competition. That time edged out Ledecky who touched in 3:57.36 while China’s Li Bingjie posted an Asian Record of 4:01.08 for bronze.
Much was speculated about the dual between Ledecky and Titmus, as the latter beat the former in this same event a the 2019 FINA World Championships. There in Gwangju, again Titmus handed Ledecky her first individual event loss at an international meet.
Titmus fired warning shots at the Australian Trials last month, producing a mark of 3:56.90. That approached Ledecky’s World Record of 3:56.46, while Ledecky didn’t dip under 4:00 at the U.S. Trials, giving the world pause that the American was vulnerable.
Here in Tokyo, Ledecky led through the first 300 meters, while Titmus kept it close on her hip, mostly sitting about half a second or so behind. With the final two laps on the horizon, Titmus turned it on big time, closing in 58.42 to Ledecky’s 59.25, including a final 50m of 28.67 for the Aussie.
Her result of 3:56.69 fell just .23 of the seemingly untouchable WR we mentioned above, the time Ledecky put up for gold 5 years ago in Rio. As such, Titmus remains the 2nd fastest performer all-time in this event.
The pair will rival each other again at these Olympics in the 200m free and 800m free, as well as in the women’s 4x200m free relay.
I could tell at the 300m turn that Ledecky was fading. Titmus knew that was the time to pounce and overpass
Absolutely disgraceful. Ledecky really let down her country.
Way to many commercials and not enough time training these last 5 years. Pathetic.
That Race is what the Olympics is all about…Two great swimmers giving it their all & battling it out to the finish…..Now, for the unpopular Take – if it wasn’t for her terrible turns, Ladecky would have won the race & probably done a Personal Best/World Record…She slowed down / glided into her turns – easily costing her a few tenths everytime….Her turns have always been slow, but it was never an issue in the past becuase she was always so far ahead of the competition; that is no longer the case…..What has Greg Meehan been coaching her on for the last 4 years ? Should have been cleaned-up long time ago…It’s all about the Details…even the little details can… Read more »
Very nice swim by Titmus and Ledecky tonight. They were in a class of their own. Titmus will never be fully tapered again after her coach made sure we all knew only 3 day taper heading into Aussie trials when she went faster. Exactly why the word taper is only used as a mental game.
” heading into Aussie trials when she went faster?”
titmus dropped 0.21 in the olympic final
Incorrect
Best race of the meet so far and likely will be the top race by the time these games are over. Also, shout out to the incredible swims by Li and McIntosh for 3rd and 4th. I want to make sure those two awesome swims don’t get overlooked.
That 200 freestyle WR is going down.
Bad ass splits 1.58-1.58
Who could possibly think after 3:56.46 phenomenal world record in 400FR in Rio Olympics that being 0.9sec slower at the next Games wouldn’t be enough for the gold medal?
Well, at least this Olympic record will stay for another 3 yesrs if not more.