American swimmer Katie Ledecky takes bronze in Olympic women's 400m freestyle

PARIS — Katie Ledecky, the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history, has won her first medal of the 2024 Olympic Games with a bronze in the women's 400-meter freestyle.

Saturday's bronze is Ledecky's 11th Olympic medal and her first bronze. She finished more than three seconds behind the gold medalist, Australia's Ariarne Titmus.

For months, the women's 400-meter freestyle was set to be a clash of giants. The race starred the three women who, between them, have had a lock on the world record for the past decade: Titmus, Ledecky and the budding Canadian star Summer McIntosh.

Scheduled less than 24 hours after the Olympics opening ceremony, the race was one of the most anticipated events of the entire Paris Summer Games.

Titmus, who is the current world record holder, had been the favorite to repeat for gold after her remarkable come-from-behind finish over Ledecky at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

In Saturday's race, Titmus seized an early lead that only grew over the course of the eight laps. By the fifth lap, she had gained an entire body length on Ledecky. McIntosh finished in second place, less than a second behind Titmus.

"I'm just relieved more than anything," said Titmus after the race. "I probably felt the expectation and pressure for this race more than anything in my life, to be honest."

The race was the headliner of the first night of events at Paris's La Défense arena, where a crowd of more than 15,000 spectators cheered loudly for Titmus, Ledecky and McIntosh. (As the swimmers stepped onto their blocks and the crowd quieted for the start of the race, a man shouted, "We love you Katie!")

How the stage was set for Saturday's showdown

Ledecky, who is now 27, first established herself as a star at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won four golds, including the 400-meter freestyle, in which she smashed the world record by nearly two seconds. Her mark of 3:56.46 stood for nearly six years.

Then came the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, in which Titmus won gold and Ledecky took home silver. The following year, at the 2022 Australian Championships, Titmus, who is now 23, broke Ledecky's world record.

Now, in McIntosh, a third rival has joined the picture. The Canadian 17-year-old briefly broke Titmus's world record last year at a Canadian swimming trials event, holding the record for four months before Titmus reclaimed it with a 3:55.38 win in the World Championships as McIntosh failed to medal.

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Titmus said she expected McIntosh to rebound to "near-world record pace" at the Olympics. "She probably hadn't been in an environment where the pressure was like that on her," Titmus said. "I'm expecting her to come in and be a challenge to me."

There is particular intrigue in the event being scheduled for the first day of the swimming competition, Titmus said earlier this month. "Everyone's going into it fresh. Nobody knows what form anyone's in," she said, speaking to reporters at an Olympic training camp in Paris.

"Those two have continued to raise the game, raise my game. I know that I have to bring my best. I think they know that they have to bring their best. I think that's what you want in an Olympic race," Ledecky said.

"I think I've prepared the best I ever have for a swim meet. More than anything, I'm excited to see what I'm capable of," said Titmus.