SYDNEY: Swim star Ariarne Titmus (pic) says she has never prepared as well for a major event and is in better shape now than when she won the Olympic 200m and 400m freestyle golds in Tokyo.
The Australian heads to Paris on the back of shattering the 200m world record last month and clocking the second quickest 400m of all time, behind only her own world best.
It makes her red-hot favourite in both disciplines, with her task in the 200 made easier by key rivals, American great Katie Ledecky and Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, opting to focus on other races.
Titmus will also swim the 800m after winning silver at the Covid-delayed Japan Games behind Ledecky.
“I definitely think as an athlete I have grown a lot in three years and as a person I’ve grown more,” the 23-year-old said on Wednesday from the Australian swim team’s training camp outside Paris.“I think, mentally, I’ve got so many learnings from the last Olympic Games.
“I know this is going to be different with big crowds, which I’m very excited for. But I think as an athlete – all together as a whole – I’m in a better position than three years ago.
“I think I’ve prepared the best I ever have for a swim meet,” she added.
Ledecky, who was stunned by Titmus in the 200m and 400m at Tokyo, has entered the 400m, 800m and 1500m in Paris, but is set to skip the shorter distance.
McIntosh has also pared down her freestyle schedule to enable her focus on other events.
Titmus said she wasn’t disappointed not to be facing them.
“No, not really. I mean, my toughest competitor I train with every day and that’s a massive task in itself,” she said, referring to teammate and former 200m world record holder Mollie O’Callaghan.
“The fact that those two have pulled out doesn’t change anything for me. It doesn’t change the way I want to swim the race.”
Titmus’s form will tested right out of the gate in Paris, with her 400m title on the line on day one at La Defense Arena.
She beat Ledecky in a thrilling final in Tokyo then broke the American’s long-standing world record in 2022, only for McIntosh to better the mark last year.
The Australian hit back to reclaim the world record months later with the clash between the three shaping as a blockbuster.
“Out of all of my races I know how to race it the best. I’m excited to see what I can put together on the world stage,” Titmus said of the 400m.
“I don’t think about the result or the magnitude of the Olympic Games, I just think about putting together eight great laps.”
Titmus will dive in as favourite with the two quickest times in history. She has swum nearly three seconds faster than Ledecky this year and almost four seconds better than McIntosh.
Ledecky, however, is the undisputed 800m queen and will be gunning for a fourth straight Olympic gold.
“I know Katie is an unbelievable 800 swimmer, the best ever ... It’s my last race at the Games and I really want to leave nothing in the tank,” said Titmus. — AFP
