Being one of the most decorated swimmers out there, it’s no secret that all eyes were on Katie Ledecky on the first day of the swimming events at the Women’s 400m freestyle heats. Katie battled in Heat 3 alongside Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, one of her top rivals.
A close competition between the two swimming icons ensued, and Titmus led for the first few laps. In the end, the Australian was left behind in a dramatic finish by Ledecky. The US legend made it to the top, clocking in at 4:02:19.
Surprisingly, both these icons did not attempt to get close to their record timings of under 4 minutes. The world record of 3:55.38 by Titmus, and the Olympic record of 3:56.46 still stand unbroken. This still leaves more room for some impressive records going forth in the competition.
Before Katie Ledecky, Paige Madden gives her best shot
Meanwhile, Paige Madden also managed an impressive run, standing fourth on the roster at the end. Battling against one of the top contenders, Summer McIntosh and Jamie Perkins, Heat 2 of the category witnessed a terrific battle between the two.
Madden stood fourth in her heat after clocking in at 4:03:34. She made it to the final list in sixth place, thus securing her place at the qualifiers.
She may have battled several setbacks in her career but she shone bright at this Olympics, at the Women’s 400m freestyle. Madden, who won the silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 for the 4x200m freestyle relay, was briefly derailed on her road to becoming an elite athlete due to health issues.
Sometime in 2022, while dealing with the pressure of rising to fame, Madden also revealed that she was battling Hashimoto’s disease – an autoimmune disorder. The Paris Olympics came in as a redemption for the swimming icon, where she now aims to make it to the top with renewed energy and confidence.
