Ariarne Titmus leaves behind Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh to clinch 400m freestyle victory

Ariarne Titmus has won the 'Race of the year' against rival competitors Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh. On Sunday, the Australian swimmer set the world record in the women's 400-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championship in Fukuoka, Japan.

The world was eagerly waiting for Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky, and Summer McIntosh to compete against each at the championship. While the seven-time Olympic gold medallist Ledecky is a former world record holder in the women's 400-meter freestyle, McIntosh is known for beating the legend’s 200m world record at her home pool.

Nevertheless, Titmus is the world record holder in 400m freestyle. Therefore, the hype of the three athletes competing against each other in a race set the global spotlight on them.

On Sunday, in a neck-to-neck race among the three swimmers in the 400-meter freestyle event, Titmus emerged as the ultimate winner. The 22-year-old set the world record of 3:55:38 seconds, beating the 3:56.08 set by Summer McIntosh in March.

Nevertheless, second to Titmus was Katie Ledecky, who finished the race within 3:58.73. Also, New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather secured the third position with a time frame of 3:59.59.

Moreover, minutes after the results came out, the official Instagram page of Swimming Australian celebrated their star swimmer's win. It penned down a congratulatory post that read:

“ARNIE RECLAIMS HER WORLD RECORD!"

It further added:

"In an epic display of skill and determination, Ariarne Titmus leaves no doubt about her class in the women's 400m freestyle final, claiming GOLD and setting a sizzling new World Record time of 3:55.38. Absolute incredible race and effort @ariarnetitmus_. 👏"

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Throwback to when Ariarne Titmus broke Katie Ledecky’s record

Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky at Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships: Swimming - Day 1

Till 2021, the legendary Katie Ledecky held the world record in the 400-meter category. However, the 26-year-old’s winning streak was shattered by swimming prodigy Ariarne Titmus in 2022 at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide.

The then 21-year-old finished the race setting a world record time of 3 minutes and 56.40 seconds. With that timing, she beat Ledecky’s impressive performance of 3:56.46 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Moreover, Titmus celebrated her win by expressing that she was glad that she won’t be questioned about breaking world records anymore. Furthermore, she added:

“I am the happiest I have ever been outside of swimming. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life in swimming. It’s definitely showing in the pool,” Titmus told the reporters of The Washinton Post.