Ariarne ‘Arnie’ Titmus terminates Katie Ledecky’s reign at Tokyo Olympics, then thanks her for the push
Arnie #Arnie
Legendary four-time Olympic champion Dawn Fraser noticed Ariarne Titmus was nervous in the heats. Not worried, just nervous.
Fraser was in Noosa, watching the TV coverage alongside the Titmus family.
“I’m shaking,” she said in anticipation of the final.
No matter what the experts say in years to come, no-one knew what was going to happen.
“Dawny” must’ve have been having wonderful flashbacks of her gold medal performance in Tokyo 1964, when she was considered the greatest female swimmer of all time.
With all her experience, she knew how difficult it was going to be for Titmus to knock off Katie Ledecky in their 400 metre virtual match race.
Ledecky had never lost an individual event in this arena.
What price Olympic experience?
What cost this pressure and expectation on the young Tasmanian?
The Australian sporting public is still getting to know 20-year-old Titmus, who moved to Brisbane to pursue single-mindedly her ambition of Olympic gold, because most people watch only the biggest swimming competitions.
Recently, a nickname seemed necessary.
Pundits started calling her “Arnie” or “The Terminator”.
It didn’t seem apt for someone who describes herself as “happy, determined and giggly”.
One-eyed commentators can bring unreasonable hype to an Olympic race or game.
Two days ago, a Channel Seven pundit said the women’s 400m freestyle final was her highlight of the Games, notwithstanding it hadn’t happened yet.
In this case, however, the excitement was fitting and multinational.
The New York Times was posing the question: “How will Katie Ledecky, 24, respond to Ariarne Titmus of Australia, a rare true challenger … ?”
Ledecky won gold in the 800m at London in 2012, and gold in the 200m, 400m, 800, and 4x200m relay at Rio in 2016. She was still a teenager.
Titmus became world class after the Rio Games.
She won three gold medals (400m, 800m and 4x200m) at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.
In 2019, she won the 400m final at the world championships in South Korea, beating Ledecky by a second. Ledecky won the 800m — Titmus came third. The Aussies also won silver in the 200m.
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At that same event in South Korea, the Australian 4x200m freestyle team won gold in a world record time. The United States took the silver.
This rivalry was not only Titmus versus Ledecky; It was Australia versus the United States.
Just how we like it.
Titmus enhanced her reputation at the selection trials in Adelaide last month, achieving her new personal best (3:56.90), narrowly missing out on surpassing Ledecky’s world record (3:56.46).
Both performed as expected in the heats on Sunday.
“Definitely feeling the energy from our team,” Ledecky said after her fastest qualifier swim.
“I’d like to think I’ve got a bit more in the tank for the final,” Titmus said after qualifying third fastest from the other heat.
No-one mentioned the chances of the second fastest qualifying swimmer from China, Li Bingjie, whose personal best coming into the Tokyo Games was 4:02.36.
It was anticipated the gold medal winner would be the woman who went the furthest under the world record.
The race and its significance
Was history weighing on Titmus?
Australians have won this event before, but not for a long time.
Lorraine Thurlow (nee Crapp) won it in Melbourne in 1956. Dawn Fraser took the silver. The gold medal time was 4:54.60.
Shane Gould won it in Munich in 1972, setting a world record of 4:19.04.
Titmus was born 28 years later, eight days before the Sydney Olympics.
Was Ledecky’s schedule a heavy load?
She had chosen to swim nine individual races, but this was only her second, so it seemed of little consequence.
Perhaps the biggest factor would be the one Fraser had in mind: Olympic experience. Nerves.
Finally, the swimmers dived in, and it looked like the American was in charge.
After 100m, Ledecky led by 0.07.
After 200m, she was out to 0.66.
The great Ian Thorpe said Titmus was “holding on well”.
He was right, of course: At 250m, the time gap had not lengthened.
At 300m, it was shrinking. Back to 0.16.
As a spectator, you can conjure all sorts of sporting images in these moments.
Ali getting off the ropes in Zaire.
Jon Seiben overtaking the favourites in Los Angeles.
As planned with her excitable coach Dean Boxall, Titmus went past Ledecky in the final lap.
“I can’t believe it,” she said after her victory. “I’m trying to contain my emotions. I’m over the moon.”
Most impressively she thanked Ledecky.
“I wouldn’t be here without her,” Titmus said.
Ledecky was the best — like Fraser the last time Tokyo had the Games. She still is.
But not in the 400m. That one goes to Ariarne Titmus, more Terminator than she likes to let on.