The clash between Ariarne Titmus (main) and Katie Ledecky (inset with Titmus at the 2019 World Championships) in the 400m at the Olympics will be one of the races of the Games.Credit:Getty,Getty
In recent years,as Titmus has emerged as a genuine threat,Ledecky has often seemed dismissive,rarely mentioning her name and dealing with her only worthy 400m rival in platitudes. When Titmus came perilously close to Ledecky’s 400m world record mark at the recent trials,Ledecky,on the eve of her own Games trials,said she was barely even aware the Australians were in the water.
“I’m not going to be checking results every couple hours or anything,” Ledecky said. “I mean,I’m sure we’ll hear about certain things because I’m sure we’ll be asked about certain things,but I think my focus is on[the US swimming trials at] Omaha.”