Everyone expected that the challenge would come from the defending champion in the 200m freestyle, Katie Ledecky, but seemingly the American is slightly off her game in Tokyo and had her mind on other things – namely the 1500m freestyle final five events later. 

As it turned out, the real danger came from an unsuspected quarter, Hong Kong. It has never won an Olympic swimming medal but Siobhan Haughey has dipped under 1min55sec each year for the last three years and has quietly risen to No.13 in the world. While Titmus was stalking Ledecky, Haughey was hunting both of them. 

She attempted to win the race the way Ledecky was expected to, by leading out hard and attempting to burn off her rivals. Titmus was always expected to back her ferocious finishing speed but still, anytime a swimmer slips to fourth place at the halfway mark of a 200m race, things are looking at least a little worrying. 

But, as expected, ‘The Terminator’ made her move through the third 50m.  

“I was trying to mow her down but my legs were starting to go,” Titmus revealed.  

She turned at the 150m mark still half a second off the lead. Ledecky was only one place behind but she appeared spent. The real race lay in front of her - Haughey and Yang Junjan. 

She passed the Chinese champion. Now there was only Haughey positioned between her and swimming greatness. She fought hard, digging in. She wasn’t going away. If Titmus wanted this, she would have to be prepared to pay the price. But those who knew the 20-year-old from Launceston knew that would never be an issue. Imperceptibly at first, then more noticeably, Titus inched ahead. 

In the end only .42sec separated them but the only number that mattered was the “1” besides the Australian’s name. Titmus 1:53.50, Haughey 1:52.92 and Canadian Penny Oleksiak, the joint defending 100m freestyle champion from Rio, finished strong for bronze in 1:54.70. 

Nothing could take the smile of Haughey’s race, which perhaps was understandable given that the HK National Olympic Committee will award her $322,000 in prize money.  

Ledecky, whom powerful American television network NBC had anointed as the female competitor of the Tokyo Games, came home fifth. By now, she must be mentally scarred by her Australian rival and she still has two more showdowns to come with her, in the 800m freestyle on Saturday and the 4x200m freestyle relay tomorrow (Thursday). 

Which explained why Titmus was keeping the lid on her emotions.  

“I don’t want to ruin the rest of my meet by celebrating too hard,” she explained.  

Only once did she lose it, as she paraded around the pool following her medal ceremony. Waiting for her was coach Dean Boxall. He had been on his best behaviour throughout, unlike his unbridled celebration following her 400m triumph. But as they collapsed into each other’s arms, the tears finally came. From both of them. 

Gould was the first Australian to achieve the double 49 years ago at the Munich Games in 1972 and Thorpe was the first Australian man at Athens in 2004. 

Madison Wilson finished eighth in the epic 200m freestyle final in 1:56.58, which was outside her best time but faster than her semi-final swim. Her placing was the same place she achieved in the 100m backstroke five years ago in Rio.

Wilson who was third in the 200m at the Olympic trials, before Emma McKeon dropped the event from her program, is already a relay gold medallist from these Games, as a 4x100m heat swimmer. The 27-year-old will be a key member of the 4x200m relay team which are favourites to take out another gold in Tokyo. 

Brilliant bronze to 4x200m relay men
The men's 4x200m freestyle relay team delivered in the final for bronze and were just a toiuch outside silver. But as feared the Brits were the clear winners.

Australian head coach Rohan Taylor chose to swim Kyle Chalmers in the second leg to protect him as much as possible for his individual 100m final on Thursday rather than customary anchor leg. 

It worked brilliantly with Chalmers, following up an impressive opening leg by Alexander Graham (1:46.00), swimming a 1:45.35 leg to ensure Australia was right in the mix at the halfway point. But from there it was left to youngsters Zac Incerti (1.45.75) and anchor leg swimmer Thomas Neill (1.44.74) to get the team on the podium. With the Brits, boosted by the gold and silver medallists in the individual 200m, which almost had them breaking the Americans world record, Australia was in a fight for the minor medals. Neill, who is only 19, swam an inspired leg and missed out on the silver to the Russians by just .03sec. 

Australia were the defending world champions in the event but putting it all into perspective was the sight of the devastated American team after the race. The USA had been on the podium in all 24 previous Games where this relay was contested but today the finished fourth.

Chalmers into 100m final for title defence
In the openeing event of the session Chalmers stepped on pool deck for his 100m semi-final. Just as Titmus needed to keep her eyes open for left-field threats in the 200m freestyle, the defending champion is learning to do the same in the 100m freestyle. The danger remains American Caeleb Dressel, especially after the eight-times medallist at the 2019 world titles in Gwangju blew out the cobwebs in the first semi-final of the blue-ribbon event with a 47.23sec swim, the fastest swim in the world this year.  

How temporary that was, because in the next race, Russian Kilment Kolesnikov basically blew the doors off the event with 47.11sec, a new European record. 

He left everyone trailing behind him including Chalmers who. In customary fashion, trailed in sixth place at the turn before mowing down his rivals. All except the Russian who, as it happens, swims his races in much the same fashion.  

Chalmers came home in a stunning 24.55sec but that was only .04sec faster that Kolesnikov – who was almost three quarters of a second faster on the outwards leg. 

At least this has all played out in the semi-finals, which gives Chalmers – who advanced to his second Olympic final as the sixth-fastest swimmer - and his Marion coach, Peter Bishop, 24 hours to plot their response for his title defence in the final.  

Ledecky wins first 1500m freestyle final for women 
Ledecky, meanwhile, gave her first hint of the strain Titmus is imposing on her in what was supposed to be a coronation meet as far as the USA is concerned. Following her brilliant all-the-way victory in the inaugural Olympic women’s 1500m freestyle final in 15.37.34 she could not stop the tears coming to her eyes.  

It was her first win of these Games when she must have expected three gold by this point. She immediately realised that her emotions were on display to the world and quickly put her goggles back on and sank beneath the lane ropes but it was a rare insight into her emotional state. 

Australia’s two 1500m finalists, Kiah Melverton and Maddy Gough finished respectively sixth and eighth behind Ledecky in 16.00.36 and 16.05.81. They were part of history as this was the first women’s 1500m ever to be held at the Olympic Games 

Stubblety-Cook storms into Olympic final 
What is it with Australian swimmers and their need to put their supporters through all sorts of mental anguish before storming home to put things right?  

Zac Stubblety-Cook emulated the come-from-behind tactics of Titmus and Chalmers as he led the field into the final of the 200m breaststroke. Fifth at the turn, he surged home to win in 2.07.35, which gave him over half a second on the rest of the field going into Thursday’s Olympic final. And the good news is that he has already gone 2.06.28 this year.   

Australia’s other entrant, Matt Wilson put himself in the right position early but faded to seventh in his semi-final in 2.10.10 and did not progress. 

Australian Brianna Throssell advanced to the final of the 200m butterfly in 2.08.41, the sixth fastest time in the semis but it is difficult seeing anyone toppling China’s Zhang Yufei after she posted a 2.04.89 swim today, one and a half seconds faster than her closest competitor, Hali Flickinger of the USA. The 25-year-old Western Australian was eighth in Rio and will be looking to improve on that here in Tokyo. 

Wayne Smith