Katie Ledecky, a prominent figure in the United States women’s swimming team, fell short of gold in her inaugural Olympic final but still managed to secure a spot on the podium.
The athlete brought home a bronze medal, marking her first medal of these Olympic Games, as she completed the women’s 400-meter freestyle in third place, clocking in at 4:00.86. This performance remains significantly behind her own Olympic record of 3:56.46, which she established in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Ledecky has now accumulated her second bronze and 12th Olympic medal overall with this finish.
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Katie Ledecky of Team USA competes in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Heats on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Rather than focusing on beating her own record, Ledecky was in a race against Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, the world record holder in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:55.38, which she set in 2023.
Titmus secured her first gold medal in the pool at these Olympics, bringing her total medal count at the Games to five, finishing with a final time of 3:57.49. She successfully defended the Olympic title she won in this event in Tokyo.
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Although her time was over two seconds slower than her world record, Titmus maintained a steady pace and managed to fend off a strong challenge from Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who surged in the final 50 meters.
Ariarne Titmus of Australia celebrates victory in the Women’s 400m final during the Swimming Finals on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
While not close to her world record, Titmus showed consistent speed as she approached the finish for gold. McIntosh’s impressive effort earned her a silver medal with a time of 3:58.37.
McIntosh’s performance gave Canada its inaugural medal at Paris 2024, and with her status as the world record holder in the 400-meter individual medley, she will be continuing her competition in these Games.
For Ledecky, this is merely the beginning of her Olympic journey in Paris; the 27-year-old still has three more events lined up.
She is preparing for the 800-meter freestyle, the 1500-meter freestyle, and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay alongside her fellow American teammates.
Already recognized as one of the greatest swimmers in history, Ledecky seeks to enhance her Olympic legacy here in Paris, marking her accomplishments with yet another medal.
Katie Ledecky of Team USA competes in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Heats on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
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She is set to pursue gold in the upcoming 800-meter event.
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