Ledecky and Dressel lead USA in intense Olympic swimming showdown
Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel spearhead the United States’ bid to retain supremacy in the Olympic pool from Saturday, facing a formidable Australian team amid simmering tensions over a Chinese doping scandal.
Historically dominant, the USA collected 30 medals, including 11 gold, at the Tokyo Games. Australia followed with nine golds and 20 medals in total. The Americans have been unbeaten in gold medals since 1988, but Australia claimed more titles at last year’s World Championships, setting up a blockbuster showdown in La Defense Arena.
The rivalry intensified when recently retired Australian legend Cate Campbell labeled the Americans “sore losers” for claiming they won in Fukuoka due to their higher overall medal count. Michael Phelps fired back, urging his compatriots to “make them eat every word” in France.
Australian head coach Rohan Taylor attempted to downplay the rivalry, acknowledging the Americans as the sport’s standard. “As a whole, in every event, they’ll have somebody who can get on the podium. We want to be as good as them,” he said.
Ledecky, a seven-time gold medallist, remains a force in the 800m and 1500m freestyle but has lost her invincibility over 400m. She will attempt to reclaim her 400m crown against Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh. Titmus, known as “The Terminator,” beat Ledecky in Tokyo and reclaimed her world record in 2022, only for McIntosh to better it last year.
Meanwhile, Dressel, who won five golds in Tokyo, returns after stepping away in 2022 to tend to his mental health. Though not defending his 100m freestyle title, Dressel is a significant contender in the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
British breaststroke star Adam Peaty seeks to win his third consecutive 100m gold, though he faces stiff competition from China’s Qin Haiyang. The Chinese team’s participation is shadowed by a doping scandal involving 23 swimmers, including butterfly specialist Zhang Yufei and gold medallist Wang Shun, who tested positive for trimetazidine but were not sanctioned.
France’s Leon Marchand, a five-time world champion, is another star to watch after breaking Phelps’ 15-year-old world record in the 400m medley last year. Marchand is also favored in the 200m medley and 200m butterfly.
(Source: AFP)
