Australian is poised to dominate both the 200m and 400m freestyle events
\n SYDNEY
\nSwim star Ariarne Titmus says she has never prepared as well for a major event and is in better shape now than when she won Olympic 200m and 400m freestyle gold in Tokyo.
\nThe 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.
\nIt 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.
\nTitmus will also swim the 800m after winning silver at the Covid-delayed Japan Games behind Ledecky.
\n\u201cI definitely think as an athlete I have grown a lot in three years and as a person I\u2019ve grown more,\u201d the 23-year-old said late Wednesday from the Australian swim team\u2019s training camp outside Paris.
\n\u201cI think, mentally, I\u2019ve got so many learnings from the last Olympic Games.
\n\u201cI know this is going to be different with big crowds, which I\u2019m very excited for. But I think as an athlete \u2014 all together as a whole \u2014 I\u2019m in a better position than three years ago.
\n\u201cI think I\u2019ve prepared the best I ever have for a swim meet,\u201d she added.
\nLedecky, 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.
\nMcIntosh has also pared down her freestyle schedule to enable her focus on other events.
\nTitmus said she wasn\u2019t disappointed not to be facing them.
\n\u201cNo, not really. I mean, my toughest competitor I train with every day and that\u2019s a massive task in itself,\u201d she said, referring to teammate and former 200m world record holder Mollie O\u2019Callaghan.
\n\u201cThe fact that those two have pulled out doesn\u2019t change anything for me. It doesn\u2019t change the way I want to swim the race.\u201d
\nTitmus\u2019s form will tested right out of the gate in Paris, with her 400m title on the line on day one at La Defense Arena.
\nShe beat Ledecky in a thrilling final in Tokyo then broke the American\u2019s long-standing world record in 2022, only for McIntosh to better the mark last year.
\nThe Australian hit back to reclaim the world record months later with the clash between the three shaping as a blockbuster.
\n\u201cOut of all of my races I know how to race it the best. I\u2019m excited to see what I can put together on the world stage,\u201d Titmus said of the 400m.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think about the result or the magnitude of the Olympic Games, I just think about putting together eight great laps.\u201d
\nTitmus 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.
\nLedecky, however, is the undisputed 800m queen and will be gunning for a fourth straight Olympic gold.
\n\u201cI know Katie is an unbelievable 800 swimmer, the best ever … It\u2019s my last race at the Games and I really want to leave nothing in the tank,\u201d said Titmus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Australian is poised to dominate both the 200m and 400m freestyle events SYDNEY Swim star Ariarne Titmus says she has never prepared as well for a major event and is in better shape now than when she won Olympic 200m and 400m freestyle gold in Tokyo. The Australian heads to Paris on the back of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-419187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n