In the 800m Freestyle final in Paris, they added another chapter to a rivalry that has electrified swimming across two powerhouse nations and pushed two champions beyond physical and mental boundaries even they didn’t think could be breached.

This time, it would be Ledecky’s night after a relentless, no-holds-barred 800m showdown where the two greats cut at each other from the opening lap. Ledecky had the lead from the first breath, but Ariarne would not relent, even with the American great upping the ante with 300m left to race.

For a moment, it looked as if Ariarne had dropped off ever so slightly, only to kick hard and resume the chase as the race entered the final 150m. That’s not to mention Paige Madden, the other American swimmer, who pushed both at various stages of the race to claim bronze.

Ledecky would get to the wall first in a time of 8:11.04, with Ariarne backing up her Tokyo silver with Paris silver in 8:12.29. The time marks a new personal best, an Australian Record, and makes Ariarne the third-fastest woman in history for the event. Madden finished right on their heels in 8:13.00, signalling a major new player in the event moving forward.

Lani Pallister, the other Dolphin in the contest, was sixth in 8:21.09 and has been struggling with the lingering effect of COVID, which was a major disruption to her Olympic meet.

It was an extraordinary race, one of the best of the meet, and the fourth time in as many Games that Ledecky has won the event after she stunned the world in London 2012 as a 15-year-old.

The only other swimmer to have won the same event across four Games? Fellow American Michael Phelps. And her ninth gold medal also sees her draw level with former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina to tie the most for women across any Olympic sport.

It has been another magnificent Games for Ariarne. She finishes with gold in the 400m Freestyle, silver in the 200m Freestyle, gold in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay and silver in the 800m Freestyle, cementing her place among the greatest swimmers the Olympic pool has seen.

Both Ariarne and Ledecky were asked what they said in a special moment they shared in the pool once the race concluded. What transpired was an exchange of mutual respect and recognition of the motivation they provide each other in and out of the water.

“After the race I just told Ariarne ‘thank you for making me better’. We bring the best out of each other and knowing you have to step up and race someone like her at these meetings definitely pushes you in training every day. Thank you,” Ledecky said.

Ariarne echoed the Americans sentiments.

“It’s such an honour to race alongside someone like Katie. I was 11 years old when she won in London; I was in primary school, so it’s remarkable to me to think she is still winning at this level.

“I know how hard it is to defend a title, so to go four in a row is unreal. I gave it my best shot, and I’m really happy with my effort tonight. I’m really happy she was the one to beat me and keep the streak alive.”

But while their commitment and drive are similar, the pair do have their differences. Ledecky said the training pool was her happy place and she would be happy to return next month, while Ariarne said she was looking forward to a long break to recharge and set new goals.

“It’s one thing to get to the top and another thing to stay there. You have to find new ways to motivate yourself and new goals. For me, it’s about getting the best out of myself. In Australia, we put swimming on such a pedestal.

“It’s a great thing, but it’s very tough to have that burden sometimes. I utilise it the best that I can, but sometimes it gets a lot. When you’re in your own little bubble and you train, you forget there is a real world out there. You can sometimes think swimming is everything, but it’s not. I’ve had things in the past 12 months that made me realise that.

“The operation (on a benign cyst on her ovary) made me realise how important life is, and that probably motivated me more to just seize the moment and enjoy what a privilege it is to represent our country.

“I’m definitely taking a big, big break to reset and build that hunger level back up.”

Earlier in the night, Matt Temple gave it his all in the final of the 100m Butterfly, finishing seventh in 51.10, with Hungary’s Kristof Milak (49.90) taking gold and Canada’s Josh Liendo taking silver in 49.99.

Shayna Jack (24.29) and Meg Harris (24.33) were the fifth and sixth fastest qualifiers for the final of the 50m Freestyle, with 100m Freestyle champion and world record holder Sarah Sjostrom the one to beat as she qualified first in 23.66, just short of her world mark of 23.61.

Phil Lutton