"Defending an Olympic title is no easy feat"- Ariarne Titmus reflects on defeating Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh to win 400m gold medal in Paris

Ariarne Titmus spoke about her incredible performance on Day 1 of the swimming events at the Paris Olympics. The Australian swimmer won her first gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the women's 400m freestyle after a dominant display defeating Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh to clinch the title.

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus clocked 3:57.49 in the finals to defend her Olympic Title. Summer McIntosh finished second with a time of 3:58.37 and USA's Katie Ledecky clinched the bronze medal with a time of 4:00.86.

The Women's 400m freestyle finals was one of the highlights of the swimming events on Day 1 of the Paris Olympics along with the Men's 4x100 freestyle relay, that won the country's first gold medal.

Ariarne Titmus took to Instagram to express her happiness in defending her Olympic title alongside strong competition like Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh. Moreover, the Australian athlete was surprised by the atmosphere in the Olympic arena, which boosted the athletes' morale as they were competing.

"In life we’re blessed with rare moments that spark a feeling like no other, an indescribable feeling. Tonight was one of those ❤️ Defending an Olympic title is no easy feat. I feel proud of what I achieved tonight for our great country 💚💛.Side note! The crowd tonight was electric!!!!! Memories to last a lifetime ✨," read the caption of her post.

Ariarne Titmus on Team Australia's performances at the Paris Olympics

Ariarne Titmus during Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 1 - Source: Getty

Ariarne Titmus opened up about the potential of the Paris-bound Australian swimming team in an interview with World Aquatic. She expressed her joy in qualifying for the Olympics and getting the opportunity to represent her country at such a big stage.

The Australian swimmer revealed that the Paris-bound team has the potential to put forward a special performance at the quadrennial games.

"I remember when I first qualified for the team, I remember I was getting interviewed post-race and I actually cried. It was like so emotional. I feel such a sense of pride to be a part of this team. I think that this team can really do something special and it's such an honour to be in this era of swimming in our country," she said. (via the Instagram page of World Aquatics)

Titmus will also compete in the women's 200 freestyle heats on 28 July 2024 followed by the women’s 800m Freestyle, which is scheduled for Friday, 2 August, 2024.