Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde offered a bit of cool-headed context.
Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledeckyreact after competing in the Women s 400m Freestyle Final on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Getty)
Some in the US media believe that Titmus had Ledecky, a five-time Olympic gold medallist and the defending 400m champion, spooked before their race. Her eyes gave her away, though, belying a trepidation inconsistent with arguably the most dominant female swimmer in history, the San Diego Union Tribune s Mark Ziegler wrote. She looked nervous, anxious, tense, concerned. Justifiably so, it turned out. Four minutes later, her nearly decade-long reign over distance swimming had been usurped by a 20-year-old from the Australian island of Tasmania.
Tokyo Olympics swimming schedule: NBC broadcast means morning finals
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