Australia and the United States will take each other on in a ‘Duel in the Pool’ event in August, bringing back one of the sport’s most famous contest after a hiatus of 15 years.
The Sydney gala could feature a reprise of the 400m freestyle rivalry between Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky.
Australia’s Titmus shaded their meeting at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics in one of the races of the Games.
The last Duel in the Pool between the two countries was staged in 2007.
That was the third time that the two countries had gone up against each other after their rivalry was intensified by the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where Australia handed the United States their first defeat in the 4x100m men’s freestyle relay.
Australia took nine golds to the United States’ 11 in the pool in Tokyo, with Ledecky taking revenge with gold when she met Titmus over 800m freestyle later in the week.
The revived version of the event will take place over three days from 19 August and feature Para-swimmers and an open-water race on Bondi Beach.
“Whether it’s the 4x100m relay in Sydney, or the women’s 400m freestyle from Tokyo, both our past and present are dominated by contests between our two great swimming nations,” Swimming Australia chief executive Eugenie Buckley said.
“Reigniting the Duel in the Pool will enable us to showcase the best athletes in the world through a format that will bring fans closer to the action and engage the viewing audience like never before.”
