Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus broke the women’s 400-meter freestyle world record, set by Katie Ledecky, at the Australian swimming championships Sunday.
Titmus touched the wall at three minutes, 56.40 seconds at the South Australian Aquatic Centre, beating Ledecky’s time of 3:56.46, set at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The rivalry between Titmus and Ledecky was on full display during the Tokyo Olympics, with the Australian beating Ledecky in the 400 and 200 for gold, while the American star bested Titmus the in the 800-freestyle final.
“I can’t put myself up next to her,” Titmus said of Ledecky. “What she has done for female swimming has been insane.
“To be in the conversation with her, I feel completely honored. And I hope now this is going to keep the battle going and give her some drive. Hopefully we can see how much faster we can keep going.”
