The Olympics open with a titanic showdown in the pool: The women’s 400m freestyle

PARIS — Less than 24 hours after the Olympics opening ceremony comes one of the most anticipated events of the entire Paris Summer Games: the women’s 400-meter freestyle swim.

The race is set to be a clash of giants that will star the three women who, between them, have had a lock hold on the world record for the past decade: Australia’s standout Ariarne Titmus, the budding Canadian star Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky, the greatest female swimmer in U.S. history.

Titmus, the current world record holder, is the favorite to repeat for gold after her remarkable come-from-behind finish over Ledecky at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Still, Ledecky, who is now 27, said this week at a press conference that she liked her chances.

“I feel like I’m prepared and ready to race, and that’s all you can ask for. I’m going to give it my best shot,” Ledecky said.

The 400-meter freestyle final is set for 2:52 p.m. Eastern time in Paris’s La Défense arena. All three are set to participate after qualifying in the morning heats in which Ledecky led with a 4:02.19.

How the stage was set for Saturday’s showdown

Ledecky, who is now 27, first burst into the spotlight at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won four golds, including the 400-meter freestyle, in which she smashed the world record by nearly two seconds. Her mark of 3:56.46 stood for nearly six years.

Then came the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, in which Titmus won gold and Ledecky took home silver. The following year, at the 2022 Australian Championships, Titmus, who is now 23, broke Ledecky’s world record.

Now, in McIntosh, a third rival has joined the picture. The Canadian 17-year-old briefly broke Titmus’s world record last year at a Canadian swimming trials event, holding the record for four months before Titmus reclaimed it with a 3:55.38 win in the World Championships as McIntosh failed to medal.

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Titmus said she expected McIntosh to rebound to “near-world record pace” at the Olympics. “She probably hadn’t been in an environment where the pressure was like that on her,” Titmus said. “I’m expecting her to come in and be a challenge to me.”

There is particular intrigue in the event being scheduled for the first day of the swimming competition, Titmus said earlier this month. “Everyone’s going into it fresh. Nobody knows what form anyone’s in,” she said, speaking to reporters at an Olympic training camp in Paris.

“Those two have continued to raise the game, raise my game. I know that I have to bring my best. I think they know that they have to bring their best. I think that’s what you want in an Olympic race,” Ledecky said.

“I think I’ve prepared the best I ever have for a swim meet. More than anything, I’m excited to see what I’m capable of,” said Titmus.