PARIS, France — Katie Ledecky launched her bid for a fourth straight Olympic 800m freestyle title Friday by beating Ariarne Titmus in the heats during a session marred by a Slovak athlete collapsing on the pool deck.

Canadian star Summer McIntosh was also back in La Defense Arena in the 200m medley as she seeks to further burnish her reputation, while Caeleb Dressel kickstarted his 100m butterfly defense.

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