If you were expecting to ease into the swimming program at the Paris Olympics with a relatively tame opening night, think again. The action kicks off Saturday with the most anticipated event of the entire meet when Katie Ledecky, Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh square off in the women's 400m freestyle, already being dubbed by some as a "race of the century" contender.
The three megastars -- all of whom have at one point held the event's world record -- are sure to electrify a sold-out crowd at Paris La Defense Arena, and it will almost certainly take another record-setting effort to win gold.
Saturday is also headlined by both the men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relays, both overflowing with star power. Caeleb Dressel, Chris Guiliano, Simone Manuel, Kate Douglass and more hope to get their Paris Games off to good starts as part of medal-winning squads.
The first night of finals in Paris begins at 2:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on NBC, NBCOlympics.com, Peacock and more.
Women's 400m freestyle final
Ledecky, Titmus and McIntosh have a chance to create an all-time moment in the pool in the women's 400m free. Between the three of them, they own the 28 fastest times in history and are a near-lock to make up the podium. The big question is, of course, in what order?
Australia's Titmus, 23, enters as the defending gold medalist, current world record holder and presumptive favorite after winning the last matchup between the trio at the 2023 World Championships. However, at just 17 years old, Canada's McIntosh has the potential and talent to retake the world record she originally held in the spring of last year.
Ledecky once owned this event, highlighted by winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics by nearly five seconds. But a combination of age (though still just 27, Ledecky is the oldest American woman to ever swim this event at the Olympics) and the emergence of her two rivals have Ledecky as a rare underdog in the first final of her fourth Olympic Games.
MEDAL FAVORITES:
Ariarne Titmus (AUS)
Summer McIntosh (CAN)
Katie Ledecky (USA)
THE AMERICANS:
Katie Ledecky
Paige Madden
Men's 4x100m freestyle relay
The United States, winners of 10 of the last 13 editions of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay, enter as the favorites for gold once again. The U.S. squad is led by Dressel, who has won gold with Team USA in this event at each of the previous two Olympics. The seven-time gold medalist is the elder statesman of this year's quartet, where he'll be joined by 23-year-old Hunter Armstrong and a pair of exciting 21-year-olds making their Olympic debuts in Guiliano and Jack Alexy. All four of those men have clocked 100m free times below 47.8 seconds this Olympic cycle. No other nation has more than two.
That doesn't mean the Americans won't be tested for gold. Both Australia, led by Kyle Chalmers, and Great Britain boast multiple sprint superstars capable of producing game-changing splits.
Pan Zhanle, the current world-record holder in the 100m free, will likely have China in an early lead after his opening leg, but they may lack the depth necessary to hold on for a medal.
MEDAL FAVORITES:
United States
Australia
Great Britain
THE AMERICANS:
Jack Alexy
Hunter Armstrong
Caeleb Dressel
Chris Guiliano
Ryan Held (prelim only)
Matt King (prelim only)
Women's 4x100m freestyle relay
While Team USA has owned the men's 4x100m free relay, the women's relay has been under Australia's stranglehold at recent Games. The Aussies will be in search of a fourth consecutive gold medal in this event Saturday in Paris.
Superstar 20-year-old Mollie O'Callaghan, the 100m free world-record holder, leads the Australian squad that may even be stronger than its winning squads of Games past. Their depth is so strong that Tokyo 100m free gold medalist Emma McKeon may be relegated to a prelims swimmer on this relay, having finished 6th at Australia's Olympic trials.
The United States has assembled a foursome that could certainly give the Aussies a race, though. The team of Kate Douglass, Torri Huske, Gretchen Walsh and Simone Manuel is an all-star cast of former and likely future gold medalists. None of them would consider the 100m free their strongest event, though that doesn't mean they can't put up blistering times when called upon.
MEDAL FAVORITES:
Australia
United States
China
THE AMERICANS:
Erika Connolly (prelim only)
Kate Douglass
Torri Huske
Simone Manuel
Gretchen Walsh
Abbey Weitzeil (prelim only)
Men's 400m freestyle
The first swimming final of the Games comes in the men's 400m free, where Germany's Lukas Martens -- who set the best time in this event in over a decade at Germany's trials -- will likely battle against 2023 world champion Sam Short of Australia for gold.
The United States has not finished better than third in this event since 1984, though Kieran Smith returns after a bronze-medal performance in Tokyo.
The gold medalist three years ago, Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia, will miss the Paris Games after an Olympic cycle marred by injury and coaching switches.
MEDAL FAVORITES:
Lukas Martens (GER)
Sam Short (AUS)
Elijah Winnington (AUS)
THE AMERICANS:
Aaron Shackell
Kieran Smith
Semifinals
The women's 100m butterfly semifinals will feature Americans Huske and Walsh. Walsh is the event's world record holder, though she and Huske will likely hope to conserve some energy while securing their places in the final, considering they'll swim their 4x100m relay legs roughly one hour later.
In the men's 100m breaststroke semis, Team USA's Nic Fink will get to size up the stiff competition that includes two-time defending gold medalist Adam Peaty of Great Britain, along with 2023 world champion Qin Haiyang of China.