For Katie Ledecky, the Olympics begin with a complicated loss to her biggest rival

July 28, 2024

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For Katie Ledecky, the Olympics begin with a complicated loss to her biggest rival

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NANTERRE, France — Ariarne Titmus was first in her lane. Or so she thought.

She threw her gear and tops into the designated bin for lane 4, then went to check the stability of the diving platform. Then she gave her own muscles a few taps, making sure they were warmed up and ready to race. It was going to be the Race of the Century in women’s swimming, or something like that. That’s what everyone said.

And then none other than Katie Ledecky herself walked up to Titmus and politely interrupted his warm-up routine. Court 4 was actually hers for this final. She had beaten Titmus in the morning prelims, so she got the top seed and that court.

Titmus was assigned — gasp! — Lane 5. The next best spot, just as easy to win, of course. But not where she had set up shop.

“I was like, ‘All good, all good,’ but she got all upset,” Ledecky said later. “I didn’t want her to feel bad or anything. I joked before the medal ceremony that she was starting to get a little comfortable there in lane 4, but yeah, it wasn’t a big deal. I just didn’t want either of us to get disqualified for swimming in the wrong lane.”

Katie Ledecky informs Ariarne Titmus that she’s on the wrong track ahead of Saturday’s women’s 400-meter freestyle final. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

In Titmus’ defense, she’s usually the best. She’s usually given lane 4, especially if it’s the 400m freestyle. She’s basically dominated this event for the past five years; she hasn’t lost the race since 2019. And by the time it was all said and done on Saturday night at La Défense Arena here at the Paris Olympics, she’d be a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 400m freestyle.

From lane 5. She beat a field that included two other women who had previously broken the world record in this event. One was Ledecky, who had won gold in the 400 freestyle in Rio de Janeiro, silver in Tokyo and finally bronze here Saturday. The other was Canadian teenage phenom Summer McIntosh, who broke Titmus’s world record last year before Titmus reclaimed it at the world championships.

Titmus led from start to finish, crossing the wall in 3:57.49, more than two seconds slower than her world record, but more than enough to win the race against the world’s best.

“I’m more relieved than anything,” Titmus said. “I’ve probably felt the pressure for this race more than anything else in my life, honestly. And I’m definitely good at handling pressure, but I definitely felt it. The Olympics are different. It’s not like anything else. It’s not about how fast you go. It’s about getting your hand on the wall first. So I’m really happy that I did that.”

Ledecky put on a smile and posed for all the photos she had to take, first on the medal stand and then at various designated spots around the pool deck. She made sure to include Titmus and McIntosh for photos of the three of them together, knowing they would capture the one who is now a veteran (Ledecky), the one who is in her prime (Titmus), and the one whose best is yet to come (McIntosh). She understood the significance of it all.

But she wasn’t happy with her own time. Ledecky didn’t even make it to four minutes. She knew she could swim better and faster, but she didn’t do it Saturday night. And she doesn’t think it’s because the 400 freestyle has passed her by; she still thinks she can win races of that length.

Katie Ledecky takes a selfie with Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh after Saturday’s 400-meter freestyle. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

“I still feel like I have a lot to offer in that race,” Ledecky said. “That wasn’t my best performance of the season, but I was still able to medal. So I still feel like I have the capabilities to compete in that event. I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve put together the 400 that I’m capable of, but I know it’s there. I know — I know what I’m capable of, it’s just a matter of putting it together.”

It sounded like she was trying to convince herself, but everything she said is true. She medaled in an event that is the weakest in a program that includes the 800 and 1500 freestyle. She trains and swims the 200 freestyle because she values the 4×200 freestyle relay and she loves being part of a team.

But when a 27-year-old swimmer faces her own limitations — even one so immensely talented and with an impeccable work ethic — these are the questions that arise. Can I keep doing this? For how long? Can I win?

Ledecky isn’t ready to face them yet. She said she’s just focused on the week ahead and feels like she’s in a good place mentally for the upcoming races. But a few minutes later, she got emotional.

When asked what it was like to train with some of Team USA’s best male distance swimmers at the University of Florida, she immediately felt a lump in her throat. She didn’t know why, but it had understandably been a disappointing race and a difficult day.

“It’s just a really special group, and that’s why I love this sport so much,” Ledecky said. “Knowing that I’m racing against these really fast guys every day gives me the confidence to be next to really good racers. So yeah, I love this sport so much that it makes me emotional. And I love those people, and that’s what gets me through and keeps me going.”

They will be the same people who will lift Ledecky out of a difficult start here at the Paris Games. And they will be the ones she needs now, as she finds her place — and perhaps the right job — as she moves forward. It is a place she has been before and one that is entirely new.