PARIS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Ariarne Titmus successfully defended her Olympic 400m freestyle crown at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Saturday by beating rivals Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky in the final.
Titmus made a strong start and surged home in the final 50m to clock three minutes and 57.49 seconds at the Paris La Defense Arena.
Canada's McIntosh claimed the silver medal in 3:58.37 and Rio 2016 champion Ledecky took bronze in 4:00.86.
"This is a little bit more emotional than the first one," a jubilant Titmus said after the race. "I probably felt the pressure for this race more than anything in my life to be honest. The Olympics is different. It's not like anything else. It's not about how fast you go. It's about getting your hand on the wall first. So I'm really happy to have done that tonight."
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Ledecky, who qualified fastest for the final, was gracious in defeat.
"I knew it'd be tough and everyone in that field put up a great race. Ariarne and Summer swam really, really well," she said.
The 27-year-old added, "I wouldn't consider it a rivalry [with Titmus]. I think it's a friendship if anything. We have a lot of respect for each other, and we love competing against each other. It brings the best out of each of us and pushes each of us in training, knowing that we have each other to race these kinds of meets."
