3 swimmers who will challenge Katie Ledecky at Paris Olympics 2024 ft. Ariarne Titmus

Katie Ledecky is regarded as one of the greatest female swimmers to grace the sport. The American has amassed ten Olympic medals, comprising seven gold and three silver, across her appearances at the Olympic Games in London, Rio, and Tokyo.

She is now slated to compete in her fourth consecutive Olympic Games to defend her gold medals in the women’s 800m and 1500m freestyle events at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the journey promises to be challenging as she faces other international athletes vying for the Olympic crown.

With this, let’s look at three swimmers who can challenge Ledecky at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

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Swimmers who will challenge Katie Ledecky at Paris Olympics 2024

#3 Simona Quadarella (800m freestyle)

Simona Quadarella at Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championships. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Simona Quadarella can pose a challenge to Ledecky in the women’s 800m freestyle. In the absence of Ledecky, the Italian became the reigning world champion in the women’s 800m freestyle which she won with a time of 8:17.44 at the World Aquatics Championships held in Doha, Qatar.

Although Ledecky set the world record in the distance with a remarkable 8:04.79 at the finals of the 2016 Rio Olympics, her best time so far in the 2024 season is 8:12.95, achieved at the TYR Pro Series in San Antonio.

Meanwhile, Quadarella boasts a personal best of 8:14.99, achieved at the FINA World Championships in 2019, and has a 2024 season best of 8:17.44, which makes her a strong contender for a podium finish.

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#2 Summer McIntosh (200m, 400m freestyle)

Summer McIntosh at Toyota U.S. Open Championships. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Canada’s Summer McIntosh is one of Katie Ledecky's prime competitors at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She is slated to compete in the women’s 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle where she will face Ledecky.

McIntosh holds a personal best of 3:56.08 in the 400m freestyle. In the 2024 season, her personal best is 3:59.06, clocked at the 2024 Bell Canadian Trials. Meanwhile, Ledecky’s personal best in the women’s 400m freestyle stands at 03:56.46, which she registered at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Both the personal best timings of McIntosh and Ledecky are former world-record timings in the event.

Having previously defeated Ledecky at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships in 2023, she will now present a huge threat to the American in the 400m freestyle event. She also has a better time than Ledecky (1:54.97) in the 200m freestyle this year, with a swim of 1:54.21s.

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#1 Ariarne Titmus (200m, 400m and 800m freestyle)

Ariarne Titmus at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Ariarne Titmus will be Katie Ledecky’s biggest rival at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Titmus is widely favored to win the 400m freestyle (long course) at the Games as she holds the world record with a time of 3:55.38 set at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Titmus finished second to Ledecky in the 800m freestyle and will be aiming to change her medal color at the upcoming Paris Olympics. She achieved a season-best time of 8:14.06 in the trials in the 800m freestyle.

It is worth noting that Titmus is also the world record holder in the women’s 200m freestyle and will defend her Olympic title over the distance at the Paris Olympics, which makes her a dominant contender among her competitors, including Ledecky.