Let’s start at the finish. On the penultimate day of the Olympic swim meet, Australia continued their strong campaign with a silver medal to Ariarne Titmus, bronze to Kaylee McKeown and another bronze for the mixed medley relay. But that read-out masks a dramatic evening at the pool, with Australians at the heart of some thrilling action. And no race was more thrilling than that between Titmus and American swim queen Katie Ledecky.

In recent years, the rivalry has been one of the defining storylines of international swimming. The battle had it all: two nations with a longstanding duel in the pool, a dramatic origin story, and multiple stages of battle: the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle

In Tokyo, Titmus asserted her short and middle distance dominance: taking Ledecky’s 200m and 400m crowns from Rio. But the Australian was no match for her rival in the longer 800m race. In Paris, the pair’s encounters neatly bookended the meet: the 400m on the opening night and the 800m on the penultimate night.

Titmus won round one, in emphatic style. The Australian also took intermediate points, as the Dolphins beat the United States in the women’s 4x200m relay on Thursday night. On Saturday, at La Défense Arena, Titmus went for the kill – taking on Ledecky in her favoured race.

It made for an exhilarating battle, as the pair went stroke for stroke. Ledecky went out hard and fast, hoping to shake off her rival. But Titmus hung with fierce determination, remaining less than body-length from Ledecky for the first half of the race.

For over a decade, Ledecky has been the undeniable queen of this race. She first won Olympic gold in the event as a teenager, just 15, at London 2012. Ledecky then defended her crown in Rio, and again in Tokyo. She has been world champion in the event six times; she holds the world record and, until Saturday night, the next 28 fastest times in history, too.

After 12 laps, Ledecky’s unmatched ability at this distance finally came to the fore. Despite a remarkable swim from Titmus, probably her best in the 800m, it was not enough to shake the American. If you come at the queen, you best not miss. Ledecky became only the second swimmer in history to win an Olympic crown across four consecutive Games – joining the one and only Michael Phelps.

The hug between them at the end, over the lane rope, said it all. This is a rivalry fuelled by respect. The crowd gave the pair a standing ovation; everyone at La Défense Arena knew they had just witnessed greatness.

“I just think it’s such an honour to race alongside Katie,” said Titmus. “I was 11 years old when she won her gold in London, I was in grade 6 in primary school. That’s just remarkable to me to think that she’s still winning at this level.

“I just have the most incredible respect for her. I know how hard it is to defend a title, to go four in a row is unreal. I gave it my best shot, I’m really proud of my effort tonight and I’m happy that she was the one to beat me, to keep her streak alive. Because that’s just remarkable.”

Titmus set a new Oceania record with her time, 8:12.29, just a second and change slower than Ledecky. The Australian’s compatriot Lani Pallister finished sixth.

Earlier in the night, Kaylee McKeown added a bronze medal to her burgeoning Paris Olympic haul after a dramatic end to the women’s 200m individual medley. McKeown, swimming from lane one after a fatigued semi-final effort an hour after winning gold in the 200m backstroke on Thursday, was second at halfway but faded in the latter half of the race. The Australian ultimately touched in fourth, as Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh took gold, in an Olympic record time.

But barely a minute later, while some swimmers were still in the pool, it was announced that silver medallist Alex Walsh from the United States had been disqualified for her backstroke to breaststroke transition – elevating McKeown on to the podium. The Australian has had her own issues with the judges in this event; at last year’s world championships, she was disqualified from the semi-final in relation to the same transition.

McKeown’s teammate Ella Ramsay had been due to swim in the final, but was a late withdrawal due to illness – another Covid case in the Dolphins camp, with Lani Pallister and Zac Stubblety-Cook also suffering from the illness this week.

Just minutes after collecting her bronze in the individual medley medal ceremony, McKeown was back in action leading out Australia in the 4x100m mixed medley relay. Joshua Yong took over at the breaststroke change for Australia, followed by Matthew Temple, who earlier in the evening had finished seventh in the men’s 100m butterfly final.

Australia were third when anchor Mollie O’Callaghan dived in for the freestyle leg. The 20-year-old had the United States and China in her sights, but despite a rapid finish was unable to chase down her foes. Australia collected their second bronze medal of the evening, as the Americans set a new world record.