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Katie Ledecky places 5th as Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus wins 200-meter free
Ariarne Titmus has beaten Katie Ledecky again at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Ledecky didn’t even win a medal — the first time that’s ever happened to her at the Olympics.
Titmus gave the Australian women their third individual swimming gold with a victory in the 200-meter freestyle. Titmus set an Olympic record of 1 minute, 53.50 seconds to make it 2-for-2 against the American star, following up a thrilling victory in the 400m freestyle.
In the longer race, Titmus conserved her energy over the first half of the race, then rallied to pass Ledecky with the second-fastest performance in history. Ledecky wasn’t even close in the 200, making the first flip in seventh place and never getting higher than her fifth-place showing at the end. She finished in 1:55.21 — nearly 2 seconds behind the winner.
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Ledecky is facing a grueling morning that also includes the final of the 1,500 free. She’s a big favorite for gold in that race, which is new to the women’s program this year.
Italy’s Federica Pellegrini of Italy finished seventh in her fifth and final Olympics. She won the gold in 2008 and is still the world-record holder.
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