A massive race to start the Olympics: Get ready for the women’s 400-meter freestyle

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PARIS — It’s arguably essentially the most extremely anticipated swimming closing of the Paris Video games, and nobody should wait very lengthy to see it.

The ladies’s 400-meter freestyle will happen Saturday, with qualifying heats within the morning and the ultimate to observe on the primary night time of the Olympic swimming program, that includes a subject that features three girls who’ve owned the world file on this occasion.

Australian Ariarne Titmus, 23, is the defending Olympic gold medalist within the occasion and the favourite coming into Saturday’s competitors. American Katie Ledecky, 27, took gold within the 400 free within the earlier Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Plus, the sphere consists of 17-year-old Canadian phenom Summer season McIntosh, who set the world file within the occasion in 2023 earlier than Titmus re-set it.

“They’re nice athletes, and I’ve had the possibility to race them fairly a number of occasions over time now — particularly Summer season, being within the U.S., coaching within the U.S.,” Ledecky stated Wednesday. “It’s at all times enjoyable to race the very best.

“These two have continued to lift the sport and lift my recreation. I do know that I’ve to deliver my greatest. I feel they know that they must deliver their greatest. I feel that’s what you need in an Olympic race.”

Ledecky stated whereas she likes her probabilities within the occasion, she is aware of it’s a deep subject past the highest three headliners. For instance, New Zealand’s 20-year-old Erika Fairweather will surely prefer to play spoiler right here; she out-touched McIntosh at 2023 worlds to earn bronze and end behind Titmus and Ledecky.

That world championship closing in Fukuoka, Japan, was billed as one thing of a race of the century, however the precise race was moderately disappointing — as a result of it wasn’t shut. Titmus deserves all of the credit score for that, as she beat the sphere by three seconds and have become the primary lady to interrupt 3 minutes, 56 seconds within the occasion. (After which she almost lowered that world-record time earlier this 12 months at Australian trials.)

With not one of the runners-up in view, Ariarne Titmus reaches for gold within the girls’s 400-meter freestyle on the 2023 world championships. She’ll be the favourite in Saturday’s occasion. (Adam Fairly / Getty Pictures)

McIntosh is poised to be a breakout star of those Olympics, her second. She was simply 14 years previous on the Tokyo Video games, Canada’s youngest Olympian. She completed fourth within the 400 free and fourth as a part of the 4×200 free relay.

Within the years since, she’s taken the game by storm, profitable 4 gold medals at world championships (within the 200 fly and 400 IM in each 2022 and 2023) plus a silver and three bronze. She trains in Sarasota, Fla., and again in February she beat Ledecky in an 800 free closing, handing the American her first loss in one among her most dominant occasions in additional than 13 years in a time (8:11.39) that might have gained gold in Tokyo.

However McIntosh is not going to swim the 800 free at these Video games, although her schedule is loaded. She is entered within the 400 free, the 200 fly, the 200 IM and the 400 IM. She is the world record-holder within the 400 IM. She’ll be favored in that and a high contender in her different occasions, which is able to embody clashes with Individuals Regan Smith within the 200 fly and Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh in what needs to be a hotly contested 200 IM. And, after all, she’ll probably be a key a part of the Canadian relay efforts. For McIntosh to actually flip the Summer season Video games into Summer season’s Video games, she’ll must win fairly a number of medals — one thing she’s definitely able to, however nonetheless one thing that’s lots to ask of a teen.

“Stress is important should you’re going to do nice issues,” Brent Arckey, McIntosh’s coach, advised CBC Sports activities earlier this 12 months. “The nice ones perceive that. There’s an unhealthy aspect of that, however she’s surrounded by such nice individuals.

“We are able to handle this. You don’t get to be nice with out the strain and expectations.”

In the meantime, Titmus is the world record-holder within the 200 free and the favourite in that occasion. She took silver in Tokyo within the 800, behind Ledecky, and can once more compete at that distance. Titmus can even probably be an integral a part of the Aussie 4×200 free relay group. Her gold-medal manufacturing shall be enormous for Australia because it appears to beat the U.S. in what has became a moderately entertaining worldwide rivalry. The Aussies earned almost double the variety of gold medals because the Individuals at 2023 worlds (a meet that didn’t embody U.S. star Caeleb Dressel, for what it’s price).

Titmus stated she’s grown immensely as each an individual and swimmer since Tokyo, the place she took dwelling gold in each the 200 and 400 frees.

“I’m being trustworthy and saying that I feel I’ve ready the very best I ever have for a swim meet,” Titmus advised reporters at Australia’s group coaching camp in Chartres, France. “So, greater than something, I’m simply excited to see what I’m able to.

“That’s why I nonetheless swim as a result of I consider I’ve bought extra within the tank, and in order that’s my objective at these Video games, to try to get each (little bit) out of myself and see what I’m able to.”

It’s the identical mindset for Ledecky, the veteran of the sphere. She’s mirrored an ideal deal currently on her profession and the way she’s gone from the wide-eyed 15-year-old in London to an elder stateswoman of the game. She is simply two gold medals away from tying the file for many gold medals for a feminine Olympian, set by gymnast Larisa Latynina, who gained 9 gold medals for the Soviet Union within the Fifties and ’60s. And she or he’s swimming her two greatest occasions right here, the 800 and 1,500 frees.

Nonetheless, Ledecky believes she will be able to compete to win all the way in which right down to the 400 free, which is a part of what makes Saturday’s race so compelling. It options arguably the best feminine swimmer ever in Ledecky, her high rival for the previous handful of years in Titmus, and {the teenager} who might beat each and take over the Olympics in McIntosh. Let the Video games start.

Simply 17 years previous, Summer season McIntosh is poised for a giant Olympics. The primary of her occasions in Paris is Saturday’s 400-meter freestyle. (Jacob Kupferman / Getty Pictures)

(Prime illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; images of Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky and Summer season McIntosh: Quinn Rooney, Maddie Meyer and Jacob Kupferman / Getty Pictures)