Katie Ledecky hit the wall well ahead of the rest of her rivals in the United States National Swimming Trials.
That was not a surprise.
What surprised him, however, was his timing. It was not as fast as expected, which raises expectations about a possible face-to-face duel in Tokyo with the so-called Australian “Terminator”.
Ledecky got his ticket to his third Olympics on Monday with a victory that was never in doubt in the 400-meter freestyle.
She came five lengths ahead of second place Paige Madden and with a time of 4 minutes 1.27 seconds.
But his time was a far cry from Ledecky’s world record of 3: 56.46, which he set nearly five years ago at the Rio Olympics.
Another time that caught everyone’s attention: Ariarne Titmus won the 400 meter freestyle in qualifying in Australia on Sunday with the second fastest time ever – 3:56.90 minutes.
Ledecky was nowhere near matching Titmus’s performance.
“I thought it could go a bit faster than that, so I’m a bit surprised. But I accept it for the moment, ”Ledecky stated.
Titmus, a 20-year-old swimmer known as the “Terminator,” has made it clear that she is not intimidated by Ledecky’s long dominance in long distance events.
She told reporters in Australia that the 24-year-old American swimmer “wasn’t always going to get her way. I can’t control what he does, (but) if I do my best, I could be in a position to win the gold medal, it will be a tough competition. “
While Ledecky is a recognized face on the American team – he has won five gold and one silver in his last two Olympic jousts – the second day of testing made it clear that a change is coming.
Two rookie Olympians secured their spot in Tokyo: teenager Torri Huske took the women’s 100-meter butterfly, while Michael Andrew won the men’s 100-meter breaststroke.
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