Swimming world championships 2023: Summer McIntosh has edge over Ariarne Titmus in prequel to race of the century: Ian Thorpe

“The trajectory of Summer McIntosh [means] I would have to say she’s going in as favourite in this event,” Thorpe, who won three 400m freestyle world championships gold medals, told this masthead.

“Summer McIntosh has swum exceptionally well, and it’s a bit like the Katie Ledecky situation where Arnie [Titmus] was the up-and-coming swimmer.

“I need to watch both swimmers in the heats. In all fairness, both athletes have the capacity for improvement.

“I saw Summer swim at the world…