Titmus Again Bests Ledecky

In the end, the highly anticipated Ariarne Titmus-Katie Ledecky rematch wasn't close. The Australian star and defending champion won the gold medal in swimming's 400-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, with Ledecky taking the bronze. Canada's Summer McIntosh earned silver, NBC News reports. Ledecky had won the event in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 before losing to Titmus in 2020. "I would like to have been faster, so just a little disappointed that I could not bring my best today," Ledecky said. "But a medal is a medal."

Titmus' time was 3 minutes, 57.49 seconds, McIntosh's 3:58.37, and Ledecky's 4:00.86, per the AP. Titmus said her previous victories helped her win her third gold medal Saturday. "I know what it takes to be an Olympic Champion," she said. "The noise and atmosphere and village life definitely makes performing well hard, but I'm really happy to come out on top." Titmus said she and Ledecky get along well outside the pool: "I definitely don't see my rivalry with her in anything but racing." (More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)