Paris Olympics 2024: Australia’s Ariarne Titmus pipped by Katie Ledecky in women’s 800m freestyle final
American swimming legend Katie Ledecky has held off Australian hunter Ariarne Titmus and claimed her fourth consecutive gold medal in the women’s 800m freestyle final.
Titmus swum just off the shoulder of Ledecky for 600 metres, conjuring Australian dreams off her power prevailing in the back end, but the indomitable Ledecky outlasted her closest rival.
Ledecky is now the first-ever woman to win four consecutive gold medals in the same event, a mark also reached by countryman Katie Ledecky.
She also steadied a wretched hour for the United States, where Alex Walsh was disqualified from the 200m individual medley and their athletes were mowed down in the 4x400m mixed relay on the Stade de France track.
Titmus finished with silver at the end of a jam-packed meet where she won the 400m freestyle and claimed another silver in the 200m earlier in the week.
The swim was the 14th fastest of Ledecky’s career, while Titmus’ brave effort was a personal best and broke a national record. She is now just the second swimmer to penetrate Ledecky’s stronghold over the top-20 times in that event.
Fellow Australian Lani Pallister sat in third for most of the first 400 metres, but impacted by a COVID diagnosis earlier in the week, fell away and finished in sixth.
American Paige Madden surged into contention after sitting in the middle of the field for the first 600 and claimed bronze. For about 100 metres, she loomed as Ledecky’s greatest challenge.
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