Katie Ledecky has made history as the first female swimmer to win gold medals at four separate Olympics by successfully defending her title in the women’s 1500m freestyle with another impressive display on Wednesday night.
The 27-year-old American, often celebrated as the greatest female distance swimmer ever, finished first with a time of 15 minutes and 30.02 seconds, setting a new Olympic record, in front of an enthusiastic audience in the Paris suburbs. France’s Anastasiya Kirpichnikova took the silver medal (15:40.35), while Germany’s Isabel Gose secured bronze (15:41.16). The only other swimmer to break the 16-minute mark was Italy’s Simona Quadarella (15:44.05), who struggled in a tough competition for the bronze.
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Ledecky expressed following her victory. “I felt great throughout the race. I aimed to maintain a steady stroke and consistent pace for each 50 meters while achieving a time that I could be proud of. I’m really pleased with that performance.”
Heading into the race, the anticipated outcome was not if Ledecky would win—given her undefeated record in this distance—but by what margin. She had easily won her preliminary heat on Tuesday, finishing more than half a lap ahead of Italy’s Simona Quadarella, following a remarkable showing at last month’s US trials, where she won by a staggering 20 seconds over her nearest competitor.
With this victory, Ledecky earns her eighth career Olympic gold, tying her with American swimmer Jenny Thompson for the most women’s Olympic swimming golds in history. She has further opportunities to add to her medal tally in the 4x200m freestyle relay on Thursday and in the 800m freestyle later this weekend. The gold medal she secured on Wednesday also marks her 12th Olympic medal overall, equaling Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin for the highest number of Olympic medals won by a female swimmer globally. Ledecky already holds the record for the most individual medals by a woman.
Ledecky has shattered the world record on six occasions in this event, currently holding all 20 fastest times ever recorded. Her best time is over 18 seconds faster than the next fastest female swimmer, Denmark’s Lotte Friis. She has improved the former all-time record held by Kate Ziegler of the USA since 2007 by more than 22 seconds.
Ledecky’s total medal count could have been even greater had the women’s 1500m freestyle been included in the Olympic program earlier, as she claimed victory in its debut in Tokyo—winning by over four seconds. Now, she is a back-to-back Olympic champion in this event, increasing her own record with her seventh individual gold medal.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, Torri Huske from the United States secured her third medal of the Paris Games, winning silver in the 100m freestyle behind Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström, who became, at age 30, the second-oldest woman to capture an individual Olympic swimming gold, following Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands in 2004.
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Huske has already won gold in the 100m butterfly and a silver in the 4x100m freestyle during these Olympics.
