Can Ariarne Titmus Respond to Summer McIntosh Breaking Her World Record?
Last May, Ariarne Titmus took down her first long course world record, the 400 freestyle mark that had been so far ahead of its time when Katie Ledecky set it at the Rio Olympics six years earlier. At the two previous major competitions, Titmus had scored dramatic wins over Ledecky, first in come-from-behind, upset fashion at the 2019 World Championships and then in a center-stage showdown at the Tokyo Olympics, but after the world record, Titmus had taken the next step in her career. For the first time, she was the frontrunner.
That lasted for less than a year. That’s how long it took for Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh to reach record pace. After breaking 4:00 for the first time in silver-medal finishes in 2022 at the World Championships (behind Ledecky) and Commonwealth Games (behind Titmus), McIntosh knocked more than three seconds off her best time as she touched in 3:56.06 at Canada’s Trials in late March.
McIntosh showed stunning speed over the first half of the race, splitting 1:55.91 at the 200-meter mark, and she held on to knock three tenths off Titmus’ previous top time. For all the potential the teenager showed across a variety of events in 2022, few could have imagined her breaking this world record so soon.
Now, Titmus is chasing again. She once beat the odds to chase down Ledecky — can she do the same to McIntosh?
Next week, Titmus will race the 400 free for the first time since losing her record. The 22-year-old will compete at the Australian Championships, not the country’s selection meet for the World Championships (which will take place in June) but still a key checkpoint for the middle-distance star. Could she get down to the 4:00 barrier in-season, like Ledecky and McIntosh did in their down-to-the-wire showdown in the event at the U.S. Open in early December? That would be a solid marker in advance of the summer championship season.
Of course, this race will essentially be against the clock, with top Aussie rivals Lani Pallister and Kiah Melverton both with best times six seconds behind the Olympic champion, and that’s a much different situation for McIntosh than racing in the same pool with her top rivals. Well, who has been the best at getting to the wall first in major finals? That would be Titmus, who has not lost in the eight-lap race since taking silver behind Ledecky at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.
If she hopes to continue that streak this year, it will require a masterful performance at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, where it’s a near-certainty that three women will break 4:00 in the same race for the first time. In an event where McIntosh will likely go out fast with Titmus and Ledecky chasing, it could require the first-ever 3:55 performance to capture gold.
Going to be a fun Olympics to watch in the women’s 400 freestyle, but Summer McIntosh will be too much for Ledecky and Titmus.