Ariarne Titmus’ pre-race error on Saturday turned out to be her only mistake of the night in winning a second consecutive gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle.
And, the Australian swimmer explained, it was not some kind of intimidation tactic when she lined up in Katie Ledecky’s lane — merely an honest error.
“I just saw that that one was the free one,” Titmus said, per the Herald Sun. “Usually like you walk out the one on the left is the one you go to and I totally didn’t even realize and look at the number and we had a bit of a laugh in the medal ceremony room.
“I think [Ledecky] just said, ‘Hey Arnie, I think that’s my lane.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry.’ I just picked up my stuff and moved over.
“And then she said to me in the medal ceremony room, ‘Don’t worry, I think it’s instinctive for us to go over to lane four these days.’
“Like, if anyone thinks it was on purpose, that’s not true. It was totally an honest mistake.”
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Ledecky finished third in the event to take bronze, behind Titmus and Canadian Summer McIntosh.
“I told her, ‘All good, all good,’ because she was freaking out,” Ledecky said, per the Herald Sun. “I didn’t want her to feel bad or anything. I joked with her before the medals, you’re getting a little comfortable there in lane four.
400-meter freestyle final on July 27, 2024. Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
“That was no big deal. I didn’t want either of us to be disqualified for swimming in the wrong lane. We got it taken care of.”
Titmus and Ledecky will face off again in the 800-meter freestyle, with Ledecky the favorite over the greater distance.
Titmus is also swimming the 200-meter race, while Ledecky is competing in the 1,500-meter event.