{"id":441179,"date":"2020-07-27T12:57:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T19:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=441179"},"modified":"2020-07-30T12:38:01","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T19:38:01","slug":"tokyo-vision-can-katie-ledecky-hold-off-ariarne-titmus-in-400-freestyle-shootout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/tokyo-vision-can-katie-ledecky-hold-off-ariarne-titmus-in-400-freestyle-shootout\/","title":{"rendered":"Tokyo Vision: Can Katie Ledecky Hold Off Ariarne Titmus In 400 freestyle Shootout?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tokyo Vision: Can Katie Ledecky Hold Off Ariarne Titmus In 400 freestyle Shootout?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Had the COVID-19 pandemic not shaken the world, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo<\/a> would be unfolding right now, titles and podium finishes earned by the finest athletes from around the world. Instead, we are in a competition lull and hopeful that the Games will be held next summer, with COVID-19 neutralized.<\/p>\n

As we reach the nine days over which the swimming competition of a delayed Olympiad would have taken place, Swimming World is taking a glimpse at what might have unfolded this summer, had the Olympics not been postponed. Following the official schedule, we offer our virtual fields of eight finalists for each event and take a brief look at how the racing might have panned out until a few strokes away from decision and a result that will not be known until July\/August 2021.<\/p>\n

League of Olympic Legends: Janet Evans Tops 400 Freestyle Podium With Norelius, Meyer & Ledecky<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Event:<\/strong> Women\u2019s 400m freestyle
\nWorld Record:<\/strong> Katie Ledecky (2016) – 3:56.46<\/p>\n

Historical Note #1:<\/strong> At the 1936 Games in Berlin, Denmark\u2019s 15-year-old Ragnhild Hveger<\/strong> received a box of chocolates from her supporters, sharing them with all but one of her fellow finalists in the 400m freestyle \u2013 and Dutchwoman Hendrika \u201cRie\u201d Mastenbroek,<\/strong> took it as a deliberate snub, vowing to take revenge. Hveger, who would go on to set 42 individual world records, led until 25m to go, only to be passed by Mastenbroek who thought, \u201cThis is better than any piece of chocolate.\u201d She was the first woman to win four medals in one Olympics \u2013 after winning gold in the 100m freestyle, with the Dutch girls in the 4x100m freestyle relay and silver in the 100m backstroke to teammate Dina \u201cNida\u201d Senff.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historical Note #2:<\/strong> Leading into the 1988 Games in Seoul, East Germany\u2019s Heike Friedrich<\/strong> had been unbeaten, winning 13 consecutive finals in the two years leading up to South Korea. But after winning the 200m freestyle, Friedrich finally met her match in American Janet Evans<\/strong>, a 17-year-old El Dorado High School student from California. Evans had also re-written the world record books en-route to the Games, including Tracey Wickham\u2019s<\/strong> long standing 1978 world mark in the 400m freestyle in December of \u201987. Evans had to confront a two-pronged East German attack with Friedrich joined by Anke Mohring <\/strong>\u2013 but with nothing separating Evans and Friedrich with 100m to go it was Evans who pulled away down the final two laps, negative splitting the race for the very first time to win the second of her three gold medals \u2013 the others coming in the 800m freestyle and the 400IM.<\/p>\n

Virtual Vision<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Finalists (Listed Alphabetically)<\/strong><\/p>\n