"I didn’t want either of us to get disqualified"- Katie Ledecky on lane confusion with Ariarne Titmus during 400m freestyle finals at Paris Olympics

Katie Ledecky spoke about the lane confusion with Ariarne Titmus which happened before the commencement of women's 400m freestyle finals on Day 1 of the swimming events at the Paris Olympics. The American swimmer revealed that she noticed the difference just after their warmups, which prevented both athletes from potentially getting disqualified in their first medal event of the Paris Olympics.

Katie Ledecky was the fastest qualifier in the preliminary rounds of the women's 400m freestyle and was assigned the fourth lane for the finals. The American swimmer was the last athlete from the swimmer to enter the arena. As she walked toward the fourth lane, Ledecky noticed that Ariarne Titmus, who walked in right before her, had accidentally placed her shoes and warm-up gear in the bin for lane number four.

Ledecky immediately reached out to Titmus and mentioned that she was allocated lane no. five for the finals. Speaking to USA Today after the race, Ledecky said,

“I had to tell her, you’re in lane 5. I told her, ‘All good, all good,’ because she was freaking out. I didn’t want her to feel bad or anything.That was no big deal. I didn’t want either of us to get disqualified for swimming in the wrong lane. We got it taken care of,” she said.

Ariarne Titmus went on to win the gold medal and successfully defended her title defeating top swimmers like Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky after clocking 3:57.49.

Ledecky recalled having a fun moment with the Australian right after the medal ceremony regarding the lane confusion.

“I joked with her before the medals, you’re getting a little comfortable there in lane 4,” she said.

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Katie Ledecky on winning the bronze medal in the women's 400m freestyle

Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Previews - Source: Getty

Katie Ledecky made her fourth consecutive Olympic appearance in Paris. She won the bronze medal in the women's 400m freestyle after clocking 4:00.86. The American swimmer spoke to USA Today about her performance in the event.

“I looked at my splits, there was nothing that was horrible about it. I just didn’t have it on the last 200, or 250, the way I wanted to. I felt like my first 150 was pretty good, went out with the field or felt like I was within striking distance. I just couldn’t kick into that next gear that I would have wanted to, to finish it out,” she said.

Katie Ledecky will be in action in the 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, and the 4x200m relay at the Paris Olympics.