TOKYO: Five-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky beat one resurgent teenager but lost to another on a dramatic first day of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships yesterday.
The American comfortably held off Australia’s Ariarne Titmus to set a championship record in the 800 metres freestyle and win the opening race before 18-year-old Canadian Taylor Ruck set a meet record to beat Ledecky who finished third in the 200.
All eyes were on Ledecky and she did not disappoint in her first race as she opened up the championships with a scorching race in the women’s 800 freestyle to win in a time of 8:09:13.
The 17-year-old Titmus came into the final as the most likely to challenge Ledecky following her three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
However, she could not stay with Ledecky and finished second almost eight seconds back, although she did set an Australian record of 18:17:07. American Leah Smith with third.
Ledecky, who won five golds at the 2014 Pan Pacs aged just 17, was shocked in the 200m as Ruck outlasted the American to clinch the gold with a meet record of 1:54:44.
The teenager, who won this event at the Commonwealth Games, said it had been daunting coming up against Ledecky in the past.
“She was kind of getting into my head but then my coach saw that it was and so he told me to focus on my lane and my race so that really helped me,” said Ruck.
Japan’s Rikako Ikee produced a national record 1:54:85 to split claim the silver, almost taking the roof off the Tatsumi International Swimming Centre and meaning Ledecky had to settle for bronze, her first medal of that colour at a major event.
Compatriot Lilly King held off a late charge from Australian Jessica Hansen to win the women’s 100 metres breaststroke gold and maintain her dominance of the event.
The double Olympic champion is the world record holder and has not lost a 100m event since 2015.
Aoki Reona’s bronze was Japan’s first medal of the meet and the passionate home crowd did not have to wait long for their first gold as Yasuhiro Koseki stormed to victory in the men’s event to retain his title from four years ago.
Koseki’s time of 59.08 was enough to edge out a field that saw six swimmers go under a minute. Jake Packard of Australia took silver and Joao Luiz Gomes was third to clinch Brazil’s first medal of the meet.