WELCOME TO THE RACE OF THE GAMES
The Morning Standard|July 22, 2024
Olympics offers a quadrennial window into some of the best performers.

WHAT'S a GOAT to the current worldrecord holder? What's the current world-record holder to a future Hall of Famer? What's all of them to a dreamer?

The four the GOAT, the world-record holder, the future Hall of Famer and the dreamer ―will likely swim on the Opening night of the Paris Games. It has already been dubbed as the 'Race of the Century'.

As far as sporting hyperboles go, 'Race of the Century' is a decent starting point. It may be unoriginal but there's no doubting what it aims to convey. The Paris Games, like a few other preceding ones, will have its own version. The women's 400m freestyle. Katie Ledecky vs. Summer McIntosh vs. Ariarne Titmus vs. Erika Fairweather. All four have won multiple Worlds medals. Three of them, McIntosh, Titmus and Ledecky, have been at it for at least two years.

In 2023, Fairweather entered the chat. The then Kiwi teen won bronze ahead of McIntosh at the Worlds. In 2024, at a Worlds without any of Ledecky, McIntosh and Titmus, Fairweather won gold with a time of 3:59.44. Another swimmer going below the magical four-minute mark. With a time like that, she would be a favourite for gold in most Olympics. In Paris, she is the fourth favourite for first. So, basically, the woman who beats everybody (Titmus), against the woman (Ledecky) who generally beats everybody except the woman who beats everybody, versus the woman (McIntosh) who has shown that she can beat everybody, versus the woman (Fairweather) who could well defeat all of them, at least in the future.

Welcome, then, to what is likely already four of the most over-hyped minutes in the Games' recent history.

Just before the Rio Olympics, Ledecky, still a teen, was considered unbeatable. She was so ahead of the rest of the pack, that a piece in the New York Times began a feature like this. "The question," they had written, "is not whether Katie Ledecky will win. But by how much?"

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THE MORNING STANDARD DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
The Morning Standard

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The Morning Standard

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Magniteficient!

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SHAME MUST GO BACK TO SENDER
The Morning Standard

SHAME MUST GO BACK TO SENDER

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The Morning Standard

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The Morning Standard

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Ranji Trophy: Delhi concede first innings lead vs Chandigarh
The Morning Standard

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WORRIED ABOUT LOSING BADLY: LIREN
The Morning Standard

WORRIED ABOUT LOSING BADLY: LIREN

Given his struggles on & off the board in recent times, Chinese GM feels he is the underdog ahead of Gukesh clash

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Inter sink Arsenal, Atletico hit late to overcome PSG
The Morning Standard

Inter sink Arsenal, Atletico hit late to overcome PSG

A HAKAN Calhanoglu penalty gave Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday, while a 93rd-minute winner ensured Atletico Madrid left Paris with all three points.

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Blasters lose in controversial fashion
The Morning Standard

Blasters lose in controversial fashion

KERALA Blasters suffered their third successive defeat in the ongoing season of the Indian Super League, here on Thursday.

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