Australia collected another silver and two bronze medals on a night that delivered more history, a world record and a disqualification, reports Editor at Large Louise Evans.
One of the greatest races in the Paris pool unfolded in the 800m which featured Australia’s freestyle Amazon Ariarne Titmus chasing American legend and her friend and foe Katie Ledecky into Olympic history.
It was the third individual event for Titmus, the world ranked No2 and defending Olympic silver medallist in the 800m, following her 400m freestyle gold and 200m freestyle silver in Paris.
But all eyes were on Ledecky, 27, who was vying to win an unprecedented fourth 800m Olympic title – having already won the 800m in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo – plus her ninth Olympic gold medal.
Titmus hung with Ledecky, the world No1 and world record holder, from the get go and at the halfway mark was just 0.24 seconds behind.
The mighty Ledecky however was cool, controlled, steady and unyielding. With 200m to swim Ledecky was 1.40 seconds ahead and that proved to be a winning margin with the American recording a historic 8min11.04 victory.
Titmus could not have done any better, recording a personal best with 8min12.29 for silver, taking her all-time Olympic medal tally to four gold, three silver and one bronze, and two gold and two silvers in Paris.
“I am absolutely buggered,” a tearful Titmus said afterwards. “I’m so proud, I’ve not done a personal best in the 800 since the last Olympics. I am stoked with that.
“I put myself out there and took it to Katie. She is a champ who I respect more than any athlete I have ever competed against. I am honoured to be part of her story and I hope I have made her a better athlete as well.
“She has the ability to sustain a race. The only way to challenge her was to put my body on the line to try to hang on after eight tough days, I have no regrets. I left it all out there.
“This is the first time I have been able to let my emotions out,” she said as tears trickled down her cheeks. “I felt so much pressure to hit my own expectations. Everyone was willing and wanting me to defend my titles. I can finally relax. I am excited to let my hair down. I’m feeling the most unbelievable sense of relief now that I’m done. I’m so proud of my efforts this week – two gold, two silver.”
Ledecky said she knew Titmus was “going to give me everything she had”.
“I knew it was going to be tough all the way down to the finish,” the American said. “I just had to stick in the race, and trust myself, trust my training, trust that I know how to race. I’m just relieved I got my hand on the wall.”
She admitted she also put a lot of pressure on herself to win her fourth Olympic 800m title and “that one, that means the most to me”. “I’m happy I got the job done.”
When they hugged at the end of the race, Katie said to her: “Thank you for making me better.”
“She’s been winning this race since I was 11 years old and I turn 24 next month. ”I was in grade six in primary school, that’s how remarkable she is. She’s unreal,” Titmus said. “She’s certainly made me become the athlete that I am. I feel so privileged to race alongside her.”
Olympic rookie and fellow Australian Lani Pallister, 22, finished sixth, matching the feat of her mother, the 1988 Seoul Olympic freestyle finalist Janelle Elford who finished fifth in the 400m and sixth in the 800m. Pallister also won Paris gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Meanwhile a third individual event – the 200m individual medley – proved one swim too many for Kaylee McKeown, who originally finished fourth behind Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh. McIntosh’s 2.06.56s victory ensured her a historic third gold medal in Paris – a Canadian record.
Kate Douglass, 22, (USA) the world No2 and world champion won the silver in 2.06.92.
But in a cruel twist, US swimmer Alex Walsh was disqualified after winning bronze for an illegal breaststroke turn, the same sin that outed McKeown at the 2023 world championships.
Walsh’s sad loss was McKeown’s gain and the Australian was elevated into the bronze medal position with a time of 2.08.08.
The DQ also changed history for McKeown who maintains her record of winning a medal in every Olympic event she has ever contested.
McKeown became the first Australian to collect four individual Olympic gold medals on Friday night, winning 200m backstroke gold to add to her 100m backstroke win and three gold medals from the Tokyo Games in the 100m and 200m backstroke and 4x100m medley relay.
The zany 23-year-old also completed a unique double on Friday night, winning the 200m backstroke after previously securing victory in the 100m backstroke, a feat she also accomplished at the Tokyo Olympics. It made her the first Australian to successfully defend two Olympic titles in two different events.
McKeown was ambitious to add the 200m individual medley to her Paris Olympic program and to follow in the famous wake of Beijing 2008 Olympic champion Stephanie Rice and 1972 Munich Olympic champion Shane Gould.
The world No1 scraped into the semi final after a slow, tired swim that followed her 200m backstroke gold medal victory. With 24 hours rest she returned to the pool and threw herself into the medley from lane one.
In another painful twist, Ella Ramsay, who was the second Australian to qualify for the final withdrew before the start due to Covid. Ramsay was following in the wake of her dad Heath, who was a 200m butterfly swimmer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he finished 11th in the world.
Fifty minutes later McKeown was back in the pool again for the 4x100m mixed medley relay. Australia was lagging in fourth position behind USA, China and France following the swims of McKeown, Josh Young and Matt Temple.
But when Mollie O’Callaghan dived in for the final 100m freestyle, she lifted Australia into the bronze medal position behind America’s world record victory in 3min37.43. China collected silver and Australia’s bronze matched the medal the green and gold team won in this event at the Tokyo Olympics behind Great Britain’s gold and China’s silver.
“This is my first time doing a mixed medley so it was quite cool, quite an honour, so I just had to swim my heart out and touch a wall for these guys no matter what I’m going to give it my all,” O’Callaghan said.
“Every moment is special to me, I’ve got to share it with many people especially in the relays, it’s such an honour to even get a chance to step on the podium.”
McKeown still has one more medal event on Sunday on the last night of swimming in the 4x100m women’s medley.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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