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PARIS — It’s arguably the most highly anticipated swimming final of the Paris Games, and no one will have to wait very long to see it.

The women’s 400-meter freestyle will take place Saturday, with qualifying heats in the morning and the final to follow on the first night of the Olympic swimming program, featuring a field that includes three women who have owned the world record in this event.

Australian Ariarne Titmus, 23, is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the event and the favorite entering Saturday’s competition. American Katie Ledecky, 27, took gold in the 400 free in the previous Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Plus, the field includes 17-year-old Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh, who set the world record in the event in 2023 before Titmus re-set it.

“They’re great athletes, and I’ve had the chance to race them quite a few times over the years now — especially Summer, being in the U.S., training in the U.S.,” Ledecky said Wednesday. “It’s always fun to race the best.

“Those two have continued to raise the game and raise my game. I know that I have to bring my best. I think they know that they have to bring their best. I think that’s what you want in an Olympic race.”

Ledecky said while she likes her chances in the event, she knows it’s a deep field beyond the top three headliners. For example, New Zealand’s 20-year-old Erika Fairweather would certainly like to play spoiler here; she out-touched McIntosh at 2023 worlds to earn bronze and finish behind Titmus and Ledecky.

That world championship final in Fukuoka, Japan, was billed as something of a race of the century, but the actual race was rather disappointing — because it wasn’t close. Titmus deserves all the credit for that, as she beat the field by three seconds and became the first woman to break 3 minutes, 56 seconds in the event. (And then she nearly lowered that world-record time earlier this year at Australian trials.)

McIntosh is poised to be a breakout star of these Olympics, her second. She was just 14 years old at the Tokyo Games, Canada’s youngest Olympian. She finished fourth in the 400 free and fourth as part of the 4×200 free relay.

In the years since, she’s taken the sport by storm, winning four gold medals at world championships (in the 200 fly and 400 IM in both 2022 and 2023) plus a silver and three bronze. She trains in Sarasota, Fla., and back in February she beat Ledecky in an 800 free final, handing the American her first loss in one of her most dominant events in more than 13 years in a time (8:11.39) that would have won gold in Tokyo.

But McIntosh will not swim the 800 free at these Games, though her schedule is loaded. She is entered in the 400 free, the 200 fly, the 200 IM and the 400 IM. She is the world record-holder in the 400 IM. She’ll be favored in that and a top contender in her other events, which will include clashes with Americans Regan Smith in the 200 fly and Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh in what should be a hotly contested 200 IM. And, of course, she’ll likely be a key part of the Canadian relay efforts. For McIntosh to truly turn the Summer Games into Summer’s Games, she’ll need to win quite a few medals — something she’s certainly capable of, but still something that’s a lot to ask of a teenager.

“Pressure is necessary if you’re going to do great things,” Brent Arckey, McIntosh’s coach, told CBC Sports earlier this year. “The great ones understand that. There’s an unhealthy side of that, but she’s surrounded by such great people.

“We can manage this. You don’t get to be great without the pressure and expectations.”

Meanwhile, Titmus is the world record-holder in the 200 free and the favorite in that event. She took silver in Tokyo in the 800, behind Ledecky, and will again compete at that distance. Titmus will also likely be an integral part of the Aussie 4×200 free relay team. Her gold-medal production will be huge for Australia as it looks to beat the U.S. in what has turned into a rather entertaining international rivalry. The Aussies earned nearly double the number of gold medals as the Americans at 2023 worlds (a meet that did not include U.S. star Caeleb Dressel, for what it’s worth).

Titmus said she’s grown immensely as both a person and swimmer since Tokyo, where she took home gold in both the 200 and 400 frees.

“I’m being honest and saying that I think I’ve prepared the best I ever have for a swim meet,” Titmus told reporters at Australia’s team training camp in Chartres, France. “So, more than anything, I’m just excited to see what I’m capable of.

“That’s why I still swim because I believe I’ve got more in the tank, and so that’s my goal at these Games, to try and get every (little bit) out of myself and see what I’m capable of.”

It’s the same mindset for Ledecky, the veteran of the field. She’s reflected a great deal lately on her career and how she’s gone from the wide-eyed 15-year-old in London to an elder stateswoman of the sport. She is just two gold medals away from tying the record for most gold medals for a female Olympian, set by gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won nine gold medals for the Soviet Union in the 1950s and ’60s. And she’s swimming her two best events here, the 800 and 1,500 frees.

Still, Ledecky believes she can compete to win all the way down to the 400 free, which is part of what makes Saturday’s race so compelling. It features arguably the greatest female swimmer ever in Ledecky, her top rival for the past handful of years in Titmus, and the teenager who could beat both and take over the Olympics in McIntosh. Let the Games begin.

Just 17 years old, Summer McIntosh is poised for a big Olympics. The first of her events in Paris is Saturday’s 400-meter freestyle. (Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)

(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos of Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh: Quinn Rooney, Maddie Meyer and Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)

Charles Barkley will either remain with TNT Sports on his 10-year, $210 million contract or he will listen to offers from ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video as he reconsiders retirement, he told The Athletic on Friday.

“My deal is 10 years, $210 million,” Barkley said in a phone interview. “Turner has to come to me ASAP and they have to guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening and I’ll be (a) free agent.

“My thing was, ‘Wait, y’all f— up, I didn’t f— up, why do I have to take a pay cut?”

Barkley is in the third year of his deal.

The NBA announced this week new deals worth a total of $77 billion over 11 years with incumbent ESPN and newcomers NBC and Amazon. In the process, the NBA rejected TNT Sports’ matching rights. TNT Sports filed a suit against the league in hopes of taking over Amazon’s deal, it announced Friday.

“I wouldn’t want them to sue,” Barkley said. “The NBA clearly wanted to break up with us. I don’t want to be in a relationship where I have to sue somebody to be in it. That makes zero sense.

“If you have to sue somebody to stay in a relationship, do you think that is a healthy relationship?”

TNT Sports statement on NBA media rights: pic.twitter.com/C14DPCJ65P

— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) July 26, 2024

Earlier Friday, Barkley released a statement through Bleacher Report saying that he didn’t feel the NBA wanted to do a deal with TNT Sports, which has had a relationship with the league for nearly four decades.

“It’s going to all go to streaming in 11 years,” Barkley told The Athletic. “I think this is just a cash grab, but they needed streaming because in 11 years nobody’s going to be able to afford these rights but streaming.

“They’re kind of getting their cake and eating it, too. They got ESPN and NBC and they got streaming.”

During the NBA Finals, Barkley, 61, said he planned to retire. He is not fully backing off those statements, but his ears will be open if he is not paid in full by TNT Sports.

Barkley said he has talked with ESPN, NBC and Amazon for the last couple of months.

“Right now, I’m planning on retiring,” Barkley said. “I’m not trying to do anything.”

Barkley said he would be “stupid” not to listen and informed the entities of his plans, but he wanted them to have their packages squared away.

“But from a compensation standpoint, I said, ‘I will sit down and see what y’all are going to have going forward,’” Barkley said. “I’ve been straight honest with all the companies.”

Barkely said he is still hesitant to not have his whole “Inside the NBA” team, including host Ernie Johnson and co-analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, plus the behind-the-scenes TNT people he adores. He expects next year, its final season, to be special.

“We’re going to go out with a bang,” Barkley said.

Barkley said Johnson won’t go to a new network, while he has not checked in on O’Neal’s or Smith’s plans. The Athletic was told from sources briefed on the other networks’ plans that they could offer to let Barkley and the full crew, including Johnson, the chance to remain in Atlanta and do the same show.

“Everything is still on the table,” Barkley said.

Barkley reiterated the people he really feels bad for in this whole situation are the ones behind the scenes who aren’t making millions.

“I feel bad for the people I work with,” Barkley said. “A lot of good people will lose their jobs. I have to give TNT credit, they tried everything to try and stay in the relationship, but the NBA wanted to move on. It’s that simple.”

Required reading

(Photo: Steven Freeman / NBAE via Getty Images)

NEW YORK — On Wednesday, in discussing how his bullpen plans shift moment to moment over a nine-inning game, Carlos Mendoza chuckled at the idea of forming a pregame plan and sticking to it.

“I don’t know that there’s ever a time you come up with a game plan and stick to it,” the Mets manager said. “Every time you make an adjustment because the game unfolds. … You have an idea, but then you have to make adjustments.”

Perhaps Mendoza’s boss, David Stearns, should take that advice when it comes to this season.

The Mets entered 2024 with a clear, consistent plan from ownership down to the clubhouse. While they did not possess the high expectations of previous spring trainings, they thought they could be legitimate contenders for the postseason while preserving a sustained window of contention in the future. And here they are, days ahead of the trade deadline, as legitimate contenders for the postseason who have preserved a sustained window of contention in the future.

But after another memorable win Thursday night, a walk-off 3-2 victory over Atlanta that felt like the inverse of so many nightmarish nights at Turner Field, maybe it’s time for Stearns and the New York front office to get a little greedy about 2024. Yes, the Mets are going to be buyers at the trade deadline. But let’s make a case for the Mets to do more than add a reliever in the next week, a case for the Mets to be aggressive buyers like they last were en route to an unexpected pennant in 2015.

The Mets are good enough

Let’s do some blind resumes for teams on the morning of July 26 over the years.

OK, blindfolds off! What do those pretty similar teams all have in common? They all won the pennant.

They were also pretty aggressive at the trade deadline. I classified the 2018 Dodgers (Manny Machado) and 2022 Phillies (David Robertson, Brandon Marsh and Noah Syndergaard) as All-in Buyers — teams that surrendered significant prospect capital for the present. The 2019 Nationals added three relievers, including the guy who would record the final out of the World Series. In 2021, Atlanta brought in four outfielders, including the NLCS and World Series MVPs. In 2023, Arizona dealt for a closer to better position itself for the postseason.

(For what it’s worth, the 2015 Mets, another All-in Buyer, were 50-48 with a negative-seven run differential on July 26.)

No, the Mets lack the kind of rotation and bullpen you generally rely on to carry you in October. However, New York possesses an offense that appears built for the postseason. As evidenced by its bashing of Gerrit Cole twice in the last month, the Mets’ lineup can go deep with the best of them. Only Baltimore has hit more homers since the Mets’ hot streak started May 30, and they’re tied for fourth in the majors in homers on the season — ahead of everyone but the Dodgers in the National League. On Thursday, New York was in the game against a dominant Chris Sale because Francisco Lindor turned one Sale mistake into two Mets runs.

Homers carry offenses come October. The similarly productive but differently constituted offense in 2022 tied for 15th in the league in home runs, then watched Atlanta and San Diego outhomer it in the biggest games of the season. This Mets offense can swing a short series with its power.

The National League is open

Here’s an important caveat: If I covered the Pirates or the Reds or the Padres or the Diamondbacks, I’d probably be making the exact same case. Because the National League is as open as it’s been in years.

Los Angeles and Atlanta have been the two best teams in the senior circuit for the last several seasons. Both are enduring more turbulent regular seasons than they’re accustomed to. The Dodgers continue to have health questions about their rotation, a dynamic that doomed them last October. Atlanta’s best hitter and best pitcher are out for the season. Its lineup looks like a shell of what the Mets are used to confronting.

While the Phillies have taken the mantle of the NL’s team to beat, they’re a team the Mets are pretty good at beating. They memorably went 14-5 against Philadelphia in 2022, and even during a down 2023 went 6-7 against it. This year, the Mets are 2-4 against the Phillies. And remarkably, since the start of the 2022 season, New York is 10-3 when facing either Aaron Nola or Zack Wheeler.

The timing actually clicks

It’s really tempting for teams to try manipulating their window of contention — to be cautious this year to put more eggs in a basket down the line. In doing so, however, they often miss the year to win.

The 2015 Mets could have been more cautious: Syndergaard and Steven Matz were rookies, Wheeler was hurt, the NL had several very good teams — surely the Mets’ best chance to advance in October would be down the road? As it turns out, that young rotation was never as healthy or as dominant as it was right then and there, and the Mets’ aggressiveness paid off in a pennant.

(Contrast that with the 2013-2015 Pirates, who never made the big move to push a very good team over the top. They still haven’t won a postseason series since 1979.)

For the Mets, it’s also fair to ask: What year, specifically, are they waiting for? Injuries to some key prospects this year mean New York won’t head into spring training 2025 planning to give an everyday spot to a talented rookie. The full incorporation of guys like Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña and Ryan Clifford won’t happen until 2026 — by which point Lindor will be 32 and Brandon Nimmo 33, on the outskirts of their primes.

The goal is to open a sustained window of contention and pounce on legitimate opportunities to win divisions, pennants and championships. The Mets are there. The two players they have signed long-term are having career-best years. Their cornerstone first baseman might not be here next year.

The window of contention is already open.

What does this mean?

Let’s be honest: This is where most columns like this end. There’s all that reasoning for going for it, now it’s Stearns’ job to turn that into something.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the current shape of the deadline market makes it difficult to go for it. Teams like the Pirates and Reds and Padres and Diamondbacks are all still in it in the National League, and the number of sellers is tinier than usual. The best starter likely to be traded may not be able to start much more this season. The best reliever likely to be traded has a walk rate you wouldn’t comfortably hit on in blackjack.

It’s harder to provide the kind of blueprint for the deadline that I do for the offseason because acquisition costs in trades are so much more difficult to project than open-market salaries. So I’ll settle for suggestions that would fit more of an all-in approach.

1. Engage the White Sox on Garrett Crochet with the understanding you’d be acquiring him to pitch out of the bullpen in 2024. The Athletic reported Thursday that Crochet would prefer to stay on a starter’s schedule (albeit with limited innings) down the stretch of this season unless an acquiring team signs him to a contract extension.

As I outlined Thursday morning, the Mets could use a long-term ace. Here’s a 25-year-old left-handed All-Star who leads the league in strikeouts and is interested in a long-term extension. Those all feel like good things. (Like Wheeler, Crochet’s likely arbitration salaries for the next two seasons will be suppressed by his lack of availability up to this point in his career. Thus, a long-term extension would cost less against the luxury tax than it might otherwise.)

Trade for Crochet, extend him and make him a multi-inning reliever with scheduled appearances the rest of the way. Imagine him coming in behind your right-handed starters in the postseason and serving as a one-man bridge to Edwin Díaz. Put him back in the rotation in 2025 and beyond. That might be worth the significant package of prospects it would require, as it would mean the Mets wouldn’t have to dive into the deep end of the starting pitching market this winter for a free agent already in his 30s.

2. If Crochet proves too much, combine a rotation upgrade — chiefly, a pitcher who misses more bats than the current starters — with two additions in the pen and one to the bench.

In the rotation, Detroit’s Jack Flaherty and Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi come to mind. Flaherty will cost a good amount, but he too could become a viable option to re-sign.

For the bullpen, one high-leverage lefty should be the priority. Scroll past Tanner Scott to his teammate Andrew Nardi or to The Athletic’s years-long target Andrew Chafin of the Tigers. Another multi-inning arm could help keep the group fresh, as well. Cincinnati’s Buck Farmer or Detroit’s Alex Faedo could work there.

The final piece would be a versatile bench contributor who could protect the Mets against regression or injury at a few different positions. Detroit’s Andy Ibañez, Tampa Bay’s Amed Rosario, Toronto’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oakland’s Abraham Toro could fit that role.

(Photo of José Buttó: Adam Hunger / Getty Images)