Fans inside the Paris La Defense Arena roared as the women’s 400m finals concluded. Australian sensation Ariarne Titmus did it again, defending the 400m title she had snatched from Katie Ledecky in Tokyo. Although the 27-year-old had to settle for third place, the crowd cheered for her too. “I would have loved to be a little better. Time wise.” Ledecky later told the press. However, she was satisfied with her 11th Olympic medal.

“At the end of the day, the Olympics is about getting your hand on the wall,” added the 800m freestyle world record holder. Yet, many netizens who live-streamed the final immediately took to social media to voice their outrage. Many believed that Ariarne Titmus made the veteran champion look like a “novice,” as Ledecky failed to crack the sub-4:00.00s mark. Others believed that pushing Ledecky down to third place would only embolden Titmus in future encounters.

However, Katie Ledecky seemed oblivious to the online fan sentiment. “So I’m happy with the medal. Thanks to everyone in Montgomery County, and the whole DMV area… All the messages and all the love, it means the world to me.” added the 7x Olympic gold medalist from Washington. The most decorated female swimmer did have reasons to not feel disappointed.

Over the last three years, Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh have dethroned the 27-year-old the former 400m Olympic champion. However, historically Ledecky has always shined in the 800m. In fact, the former Stanford Cardinal member is looking to equal Michael Phelps’ record of becoming a four-time consecutive gold medalist in a single event. While Ariane Titmus may have won the 400m battle, Ledecky has in an advantage in their upcoming clash.

Can Katie Ledecky achieve a record-setting victory over Ariarne Titmus?

Although fans have raised doubts after the Olympian’s lackluster bronze-winning performance, Ledecky has a lot going for her in the longer-distance contest. The 21x world championships gold winner is a phenom in the 800m event, holding both the long and short-course world records in the event. The fact that Ledecky has beaten her own 800m record four times speaks volumes of her skill.

Titmus fell short of Katie Ledecky’s gold medal-winning 8.12.57 time in Tokyo. Although she has improved leaps and bounds in 400m, the 23-year-old clocked what she described as a “disappointing” 8:14.06 finish across 800m at the 2024 Australian Trials. The fact that Ledecky will tie the all-time Olympic record of 12 medals in women’s swimming will also drive the American’s hunger to win. If the Olympian manages to win both the 800m and 1500m freestyle, she’ll become the woman with the most Olympic medals in swimming.

That being said, Titmus’s victory over the veteran Olympian will indeed boost her confidence going forward. So only time will tell whether the Australian continues her meteoric rise, or if the Women’s swimming GOAT reels in her opponent’s Olympic ambitions.