Unstoppable force meets immovable object: Inside swimming titans Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky's friendly rivalry

When you're the most decorated women's swimmer in history, it's a little difficult to keep topping yourself.

And yet, somehow Katie Ledecky always does.

The list of accomplishments she added to her already incredible resumé on Saturday night had to be witnessed to be believed.

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By winning the 800m freestyle in an epic tussle against Australian rival Ariarne Titmus, Ledecky:

1. Tied Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most Olympic gold medals won by a woman (nine).
2. Became the second swimmer ever to win the same race in four consecutive Olympics after Michael Phelps.
3. Extended her record as the most decorated American woman in Olympic history.

And yes, she's keeping track - even if it's not what she thinks about right before a race.

"The four times one is the one that means the most to me," she told reporters after the race.

"August 3 is the day I won in 2012, and I didn't want August 3 to be a day I didn't like, moving forwards.

"Kinda felt like I put a lot of pressure on myself. So, I'm happy I got the job done."

As it always is with Ledecky, it's not just that she's pulling off these historic feats.

It's the way she's doing them.

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In this particular race, the focus was on Ledecky and Titmus from the jump.

The two share a friendly rivalry that heated up when Titmus usurped Ledecky in the 400m freestyle at Tokyo 2020 and has only become more intense since then as the two push themselves to get faster.

The gap between these two women and the rest of the field was evident in this one.

Within the first 100 metres of the race, Ledecky led Titmus by a head. They both led the rest of the field by body lengths.

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It stayed that way, the gap widening through much of the next 500 metres – Ledecky just ahead of Titmus, but the Australian refusing to drop back any further.

Then they hit the wall at the 600m mark and Ledecky took off.

The American legend seemed to hit another gear that normal humans are not supposed to have.

She pulled away from Titmus, leaving her rival in her wake as the crowd began to roar her name.

The noise grew as they neared the wall and Ledecky hit the wall 1.25 seconds ahead of her Australian foe.

"I felt like I took it to her. I challenged her. I made it a great race and I gave it everything," Titmus said.

"She just had an extra bit in the legs at the end. She's an absolute champion.

"I know how hard it is to defend a title. It's so much harder to win it a second time, and to be on top for over 12 years is unbelievable."

The respect for Ledecky runs deep for Titmus.

"I said to her after the race, she's made me a better athlete, I totally respect what she has done in this sport, more than anyone else," the Australian said of Ledecky.

"She's been winning this race since I was 11 years old, and I turn 24 next month. That is just remarkable. She's unreal."

It was similar in return from Ledecky for her Australian counterpart.

"I knew Ariarne was going to give me everything she had. We got 36 hours of rest, so I knew it was going to be tough all the way down to the finish," Ledecky said.

"I just had to stick in the race, and trust myself, trust my training, trust that I know how to race. I'm just relieved I got my hand on the wall."

The win put Ledecky among a very small group of Olympians, a fact she keeps being reminded of.

But she emphasised on late Saturday night that the history is not what drives her.

For Ledecky, the joy of swimming is just in doing the sport itself.

She told reporters she actually likes training more than she likes racing.

If it were up to her, she'd take a few weeks off and get back to training in September.

"I really just don't think about these things very much," she said.

"I don't know, I really take it one race at a time and yeah, I mean, as I've said, like, each one was very difficult and has its own story to it – has its own meaning behind it. But yeah, it's pretty neat."

She added: "I know there are only a handful of people that have won that many number of golds and a number of medals.

"And again, it's an honour to be up there with so many great athletes from over the years and I never pictured myself being in this position."