Paris 2024 swimming: All results, as USA's Katie Ledecky wins golden showdown against Australia's Ariarne Titmus in women’s 800m freestyle
Katie Ledecky of the USA emerged as the victor in a stroke-for-stroke swimming showdown against Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in the women’s 800m freestyle final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, claiming the gold medal with in a time of 8:11.04 at Paris La Defense Arena on Saturday, 3 August.
It was Ledecky's fourth victory in that particular event, which she won at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
“The four times one [record] is the one that means the most to me,” Ledecky said afterwards. “August 3 is the day I won in 2012, and I didn’t want August 3 to be a day I didn’t like, moving forwards.
“Kinda felt like I put a lot of pressure on myself. So I’m happy I got the job done.”
It certainly wasn’t an easy task for Ledecky, who was pushed by Titmus for much of the race.
The pair were dead even over the first 550 meters, playing a game of aquatic chicken to see who would raise the pace first. Both swam a steady, confident pace, not giving any indication of their fatigue or fitness.
It remained a battle to see who would break first, until Ledecky began to pull ahead at the 600m mark. She continued to increase her gap until Titmus was over a second behind her at the finish.
“I had to trust that I could swim the race any way I wanted to,” said Ledecky. “Recently she’s been taking it out fast and trying to hold on, and I figured she’d try to stay with me as long as she could. I just tried to stay calm. Tried to inch my way forward each lap.”
It was an emphatic victory for Ledecky, who became the most decorated ever female swimmer from the United States after earning a silver medal in the women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay on 1 August. Her victory in the 800m freestyle added another medal to tally, bringing her to 14 medals total at the Olympic Games, with nine of those gold.
“We got 36 hours of rest, so I knew it was going to be tough all the way down to the finish,” said Ledecky. “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.”
It was an exceptional race for Titmus, who broke the Oceanian record with her time of 8:12.29. While it may not be the victory she desired, Titmus was still pleased with her performance in the final.
“I'm so happy to do a [personal best],” said the silver medalist. “This is the toughest week of racing you can possibly do. I've been feeling it [at] the back end of this week, and I gave it everything.
“I said to myself I wouldn't sleep at night if I felt like I left anything out there, so I'm so proud of my efforts.”
It was a long week of racing for Titmus, who competed in the women’s 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle, along with the women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay final. However, it was also a productive week of swimming, as she left Paris 2024 with four medals, including two gold and two silver.
“I knew what to expect physically and emotionally coming into this from learning from last Olympics,” said Titmus. “Emotionally, this week, I had so much expectation on me the past few years to go back-to-back and continue my winning streak internationally, the 400 especially.
“You kind of put that in a little box and put it in the corner and don't really recognize it. I am so good at putting that pressure in a little pile and using it to my advantage to race, but then when it's off your back, somehow that creeps out and just explodes, and I'm feeling the most unbelievable sense of relief now that I'm done.”
Team USA’s Paige Madden will also feel a sense of relief, after she mounted a phenomenal late-race comeback to claim the bronze medal with a time of 8:13.00.
“I never thought I was going to go faster than I did in Tokyo,” said the bronze medalist. “So to be here in the 800m, I’m so proud of myself. I’m still in shock, I’m trying to put it into words."
She and Ledecky found plenty of words on the podium, singing their national anthem together after receiving their medals.
“That was really special,” said Ledecky. “I know how hard Paige has worked over the summer. I told her, 'Do you realize you broke the old world record before I broke it?' She didn’t really process it."
Of course, who could blame Madden on a night of exceptional swimming performances.
Swimming: Women’s 800m freestyle
Gold: Katie Ledecky, USA
Silver: Ariarne Titmus, AUS
Bronze: Paige Madden, USA
See all the results on Olympics.com.