Titmus sidesteps Ledecky in 200m
QUEENSLAND swim star Ariarne Titmus will sacrifice the sugar hit of a showdown with American Katie Ledecky in the 200m freestyle tomorrow in an attempt to close the gap on the world recordholder in the race she dominates.
Titmus, 17, has been a revelation over the past year, pushing to fourth place in the 400m freestyle at last year’s world championships in her first international campaign before winning three gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
But she trains under the virtual shadow of Ledecky, the woman who won the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle at the Rio Games.
Titmus swam a world-class 200m at the Commonwealth Games and could push Ledecky, 21, in the event at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo tomorrow.
But it is scheduled less than an hour after the 800m and she has axed it from her program. “I wasn’t quite happy with it at Comm Games, so we said we should drop the 200m, focus on the 800 and swim a better time,” Titmus said.