It tookaperfect plan to snatch freestyle gold medalafter poking theGOAT
ARIARNE Titmus’s pulsating win was the result of a meticulous plan that was years in the making.
Titmus and her coach Dean Boxall knew from the moment the rising Australian beat Katie Ledecky at the 2019 world championships in South Korea that they had poked the bear.
That world championship win sent a warning to Ledecky that her days of bullying her opponents were over.
But no one was really sure whether it counted because the American said she was ill at the time.
The only thing Titmus and Boxall were sure about was that Ledecky would be fighting fit when they met in Tokyo, and would try to break the Australian’s spirit by going out hard and saying catch me if you can.
To be the best, they had to beat the best, and that meant coming up with a master plan. So Titmus spent the past two years working on her speed and stamina so she could make her move in the back half of the race, and that’s exactly what happened.
Ledecky had opened up a body length’s lead over Titmus after the first 200m, but the Australian was the one who was in control.
If Ledecky has one chink in her armour, it’s that she’s not used to seeing opponents keeping up with her when she piles on the pressure.
So when Titmus kept coming at her, she knew she was in trouble.
“She definitely swam a really smart race. She was really controlled up front,” Ledecky said. “I didn’t feel like I died or really fell off. She just had a faster final 50m or 75m and got her hand to the wall first.”
Titmus admitted she was a little worried by how far in front Ledecky got, but she kept telling herself she had plenty in the tank.
“I did not come to the Games unprepared,” Titmus said.
“I had to trust myself, stay as composed as I could. I’m really proud.”