"I've never ever felt a real rivalry" - Ariarne Titmus opens up on her equation with Katie Ledecky

Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus recently shared her thoughts about her equation with 'rival' swimmer Katie Ledecky. The Australian attended a podcast session titled Mick in the Morning.

In the aforementioned podcast session, the 24-year-old talked about her swimming career and equation with Ledecky, her chief competitor in the women's 400m and 800m freestyle events.

Titmus talked about the rapport she shared with her US counterpart, Ledecky.

"Yeah, we get along really well, we don't speak too often. But I remember last month, she had some incredible swims, and broke the 800m freestyle world record, and I messaged her and said, 'Amazing, Congrats,'" she said [7:45 onwards].

The Australian swimmer added that she never felt a 'real rivalry' with Ledecky, saying:

"I've ever never felt a real rivalry [with Ledecky] as such, because I've never been a double person."

Ariarne Titmus has been on an extended break since the end of the Paris Olympics. The Australian swimmer will not return to action until the end of July, which means that she will also miss out on the World Aquatics Championships, which will be held from July 11 onwards in Singapore.

Ariarne Titmus on meeting sports legends at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025

Ariarne Titmus at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony [Image Source: Getty]

Ariarne Titmus had previously attended the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony a couple of months ago. Though the Australian swimmer didn't win an award, she enjoyed her time meeting some of the great sporting legends, including tennis sensation Rafael Nadal from Spain.

In her interview with WWOS.com.au, Titmus mentioned her excitement about attending the ceremony.

"It was honestly pinch myself stuff. I almost felt like I didn't belong to be there because I was around all these incredible legends of sport that are still competing, but also that have retired, that are just synonymous with legendary in the athletic world," she said.

The 24-year-old Australian swimmer added:

"And to be on the table with, legends and have Edwin Moses sitting in front of me to be there when, Kelly Slater was presented with his icon award, and Rafa [Rafael Nadal] as well. It was honestly unbelieveable."

Ariarne Titmus was nominated in the Comeback of the Year award category for her powerful comeback to the pool after multiple surgeries. She lost out on the award to Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who returned to the gymnastics arena after a series of career-threatening injuries. Andrade won one gold medal, two silver medals, and a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last year.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar