Ariarne Titmus' message to Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh ahead of Olympics showdown

Aussie swimming golden girl Ariarne Titmus has sent a warning to her rivals Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh having signalled her intention to cement her legacy at the Paris Olympics. Titmus is the current world record holder for the highly-anticipated 400m freestyle race.

The Aussie sensation is up against the greatest female swimmer of all time in Ledecky and is fighting off the challenge of rising star McIntosh in the pool. Ledecky was the previous world record holder for the 400m freestyle back in 2014 and has won seven gold medals.

Titmus won the 200m and 400m gold at the Tokyo Games and eclipsed Ledecky's world record in the 400m in 2022. But 17-year-old prodigy McIntosh then eclipsed her time in March 2023. Titmus then stunned the swimming world earlier this year at the world championships when she won the 'race of the century' with a world record time.

And Titmus is welcoming the challenge of racing the two again in what could be one of the most hyped events in Paris. "For me, honestly it's just very exciting to be a part of this," Titmus said. "I kind of wish that I was watching on as a swimming fan. You look back at the legacy points in swimming - there's Thorpey and Hackey and Kieren," she said, referring to the famous freestyle battles of Australian greats Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Kieren Perkins.

"Being a swimming fan then would have been so fun. So I think about what it would be like to be a swimming fan now and I just feel so honoured and proud of the work I've done to be in this position, to be able to be a part of this contention to win gold. It's more satisfying in my races that to win, I have to beat the greatest. That gives me more satisfaction knowing that if I do win, it's in the toughest field in the world."

Ariarne Titmus firing ahead of Paris Olympics

Titmus will need to potentially break her own world record to hang onto the 400m gold at the Paris Olympics with the competition from McIntosh a real threat. However, the Aussie admitted she feels her preparation for Paris has been even better than the last Olympics as she has trained without serious injury.

Although Titmus has hailed her experience at the Olympics as one of her best advantages this year. "I have probably had the cleanest run through to a major meet this time round so that gives me good confidence," she said.

"At Olympic trials three years ago, I was off the back of a shocking shoulder injury - I pretty much had three months of work and I really didn't know what to expect. I feel like I am now a smarter swimmer. I have so much more experience under my belt.

"This time around, I come in a much more well-rounded athlete and I think a much more well-rounded person. I have grown so much as a human outside of swimming the past three years which I think has made me a better athlete."

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Titmus put down some of her perspective on swimming and life after surgery to remove a benign tumour from an ovary last September. And Titmus said "That was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, to be honest," Titmus said.

"It put a lot of things into perspective - moreso, swimming is just swimming. But also I am only young once and I really have to make the most of this moment in my life and the chance that I have to race at an Olympic Games. Not only just to be an Olympian but fighting for medals and gold medals is very rare."

with AAP