Katie Ledecky gushed over the young Aussie who spoiled her bid for Olympics perfection, calling their rivalry 'great for the sport'
- Katie Ledecky suffered the first individual loss of her illustrious Olympics career on Monday.
- Ariarne Titmus bested the superstar swimmer despite an incredible race from the American.
- After earning silver, Ledecky gushed over Titmus and called their rivalry "great for the sport."
Katie Ledecky suffered the first individual loss of her illustrious Olympics career on Monday.
During her Tokyo Olympics medal-event debut in the 400-meter freestyle race, the 24-year-old Team USA superstar swam a lightning-fast 3:57.36 - the fourth-fastest time ever recorded in the event. But it still wasn't enough to edge out Australian wunderkind Ariarne Titmus, who came within 0.3 seconds of breaking the world record that Ledecky set at the 2016 Olympics.
Mere moments removed from the first individual loss of her illustrious Olympics career, Ledecky could offer nothing but praise for her rival.
"She said she couldn't have done it without me, and I could say the same about her," Ledecky told NBC's Michele Tafoya shortly after the race. "She's really pushed me. I think it's great for the sport."
For her part, Titmus said she "wouldn't be here without" Ledecky because "she set this incredible standard."
"We've both pushed this event forward," Ledecky added.
She's right. Ledecky and Titmus helped motivate the other's training, and their brilliance in the event prompted peak performances from many of the race's other contenders.
And on an individual level, Ledecky's silver-medal swim in Tokyo was undoubtedly a strong showing for the five-time Olympic gold medalist. She finished 0.67 seconds behind Titmus - and nearly three full seconds ahead of the next-fastest swimmer - to notch the second-best 400m swim of her career.
"I fought tooth and nail and just gave it my all, so I can't be disappointed by that," Ledecky said. "It was a good time by me, [but] just an awesome swim by her."
Check out the replay of Ledecky's and Titmus' 400m finish below: