The world record in the 800 meter free female has been untouchable for almost nine years since Katie Ledecky swam it in 8: 04.79 at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. No one had come within two seconds of that time since.
All of this changed on Saturday. And Ledecky, of course, was the only one to do so.
Advertisement
The American swimming legend has broken its own record in the event at the Tyr Pro series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, finishing in 8: 04.12 to beat its previous incomparable time of more than half a second, highlighting a day of several records in the south of Florida.
LEDECKY, which won gold at 800 meters freestyle in four consecutive Olympic Games, now has the 10 fastest times of the event. It increased the world record in case of six times, the fighter for the first time in 2013 and shaved almost 10 seconds from the previous first step.
“I can't stop smiling, it was like that all week, so it's not really new”, Ledecky said. “It's been so many years to do it tonight.”
Advertisement
Ledecky ran with a first fast first meter and was ahead of his old record rate throughout the first half of the race. At the 450 -meter brand, she had slipped behind, but 550 meters, she was back online with her Rio time. At 750 meters, she made the last turn at just 0.14 seconds ahead of the pace, then swam the last 50 on half a second better than she did it nine years earlier to win him.
“I returned the 750, and it was noisy here,” said Ledecky about the crowd of Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, “and I just said to myself:” I don't let this opportunity get lost “and I started to sprint.”
The victory occurs two days after Ledecky beat his rival Summer McIntosh A fascinating 400 -meter raceA Ledecky event has lost ground since he won gold in Rio. The time of Ledecky of 3: 56.81 was his second faster of the event, behind the world record then in 3: 56.46, she established in 2016.
Ledecky, 28 years old, has nine Olympic gold medals in career and 14 medals in total to accompany 21 gold medals. She won gold at the 800 at the London 2012 Olympic Games at 15, launching a career that made her the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history.
Advertisement
In 2016 in Rio, Ledecky won four gold medals, including a scan of races of 200, 400 and 800 meters freestyle. As the Tokyo Games delayed by the year arrived in 2021, the Ariarne Titmus of Australia had overshadowed it in shorter distances. Titmus won 200 and 400 in Japan; Ledecky took the money in the 400 and missed the podium in 200.
In Paris last year, Ledecky abandoned 200 of his program. Titmus again won the 400, with Ledecky taking bronze.
Starting with the Tokyo Games, a 1,500 meter race was part of the female program. This is the best event in Ledecky; She has the 22 fastest times of all time and has gone through gold medals in each of the last two Olympic games.
This week's results have shown that Ledecky is still in great shape. She previously said that she was considering competition at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, when she was 31 years old.
Advertisement
“I will take him year by year and give him everything I have been going to me for so long,” said Ledecky when he was asked about the pursuit of his career after his last race in Paris last summer.
The American Gretchen Walsh also reset her own world record on Saturday in the 100 meter butterfly – twice. The 22 -year -old woman swam 55.09 in the preliminaries to lower her previous 55.18 record, then exceeded it with 54.60 in the final.
Walsh, Once known for its prowess as “swimmer of the bathtub” In short -term swimming pools of 25 meters which put more emphasis on speed underwater on turns, establishes its first world record in a 50 -meter swimming pool in the 100 meters of butterflies with American Olympic tests last year. She then won the money in Paris.
Its 54.60 times on Saturday is almost a complete second, better than the best previous time, a set of 55.48 by Sarah Sjöström in Sweden in 2016.
Advertisement
“What a crazy period, I honestly shocked myself,” said Walsh.
The next major event on the American swimming calendar is the national championships, from June 3 to 7 in Indianapolis.
This article originally appeared in Athletics.
Olympic games, world sports, female Olympic Games
2025 The Athletic Media Company
