By Maren Angus-Coombs
Contributing Sports Writer
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When the swimmers were introduced before the women's 400-meter freestyle on Saturday, American Katie Ledecky approached Lane 4 looking to put her warmup clothes and flip-flops in the bin. To her surprise, the bin was full.
As she looked down, she recognized the green and gold gear of Australia's Ariarne Titmus. Ledecky could've turned the exchange into a moment revolving around a heated rivalry but instead, she nonchalantly told Titmus she was in the wrong lane.
"She was freaking out," Ledecky said. "I didn't want her to feel bad or anything."
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As the world watches this year's rivalry compete in the pool, Ledecky says that isn't the word to use to describe the relationship between the two.
"I wouldn't consider it a rivalry," Ledecky said. "I mean, I think it's a friendship."
The race lived up to its hype. Titmus defended her gold medal from the Tokyo Games and Ledecky finished with the bronze medal. Summer McIntosh, a 17-year-old Canadian, earned silver.
"It's nice to catch up with her," Titmus said, "see her and have a chat."
The storyline heading into the Olympics could have been about the 11 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Games but were allowed to compete. Instead, Ledecky and Titmus have stolen their spotlight, and for good reason.
La Défense Arena usually hosts rugby and for this meet, it has turned into an Olympic swimming venue. The crowd was electric. Both women walked out to thunderous applause. Ledecky was disappointed, not because of her medal, but because she didn't swim a race as well as she could have.
She could have been upset during the medal ceremony but instead, she took a moment to joke around with Titmus.
"I joked with her before the medals," Ledecky said of swimming the better semifinal time, "'You're getting a little comfortable there in Lane 4.'"
Rightfully, so. Titmus was in control from the start and never let up.
"I'd like to think that I contributed a little bit to the buildup around that race with my performances," said Ledecky. "But they've continued to get faster over the years and push the pace in this event, and it's incredibly exciting to be a part of it. I think we could all still feel the energy in the stadium today, and that definitely spurred us on."
Ledecky has contributed. Both Titmus and McIntosh have admired her for years. When the Maryland native won gold in the 800 freestyle in London, she was just 15 years old, Titmus was 11, McIntosh 5. McIntosh has told reporters she grew up with a poster of Ledecky on her wall.
"We have a lot of respect for each other," Ledecky said. "We love competing against each other."
Titmus and McIntosh each have one more scheduled race against Ledecky. Titmus will headline the 800-meter free alongside Ledecky on Friday while McIntosh will be part of the Canadian 4x200 free relay on Thursday. The only race Ledecky has without either rival is the 1500 free on Wednesday.
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