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Katie Ledecky becomes first female swimmer to win four Olympic gold medals, eighth in her career and on pace to tie US women’s swimming record of nine
PARIS, France — If there was one clear winner in swimming at the Paris Olympics, it was Katie Ledecky in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle, and the American proved once again on Wednesday, July 31, that she is the absolute powerhouse of the swimming world, battling her way to another gold medal.
For more than a decade, the question was not whether the reigning Olympic champion could win the 1,500m, but by how big a lead she would win, crossing the finish line first in a powerful 15 minutes, 30.02 seconds that would go into the swimming record book.
It was a history-making swim for the 27-year-old American, who won her eighth Olympic gold medal and tied with compatriot Jenny Thompson for the most gold medals won by a female swimmer.
Ledecky also became the first female swimmer to stand on the top step of the podium at four Olympic Games, joining her compatriots Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte as the only two men to accomplish the feat.
More importantly, after winning the 1,500 freestyle title and bronze in the 400 freestyle, Ledecky is on the verge of becoming a great like Phelps.
A gold medal in Paris would bring her total from four Olympics to nine, tying gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record for most Olympic gold medals by a woman.
With the 800 freestyle and a possible relay still to go, Ledecky could leave Paris officially crowned the greatest female Olympian of all time.
“I try not to think too much about history and stuff like that, but I know those names,” Ledecky said. “Those guys I swam with, they were all swimmers that I looked up to when I first started swimming, so it’s an honor to be on that list with them.”
“I’m grateful for the encouragement they’ve given me over the years, and for the many great swimmers in the U.S. who have helped get me to where I am today.”
While Ledecky’s winning time was nearly 10 seconds slower than her own world record of 15:20.48 set in 2018, it was enough to give her a nearly half-pool length lead over France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, by 10.33 seconds.
Germany’s Isabelle Goss won the bronze medal.
Ledecky is dominant in the 1500m, where she posted 19 fastest times and set the last six world records.
As with all of her 1,500-meter races, the outcome was decided early on as Ledecky led the pack by a length after the first 100 meters and continued to extend her lead with each subsequent split.
Standing alone in the front, Ledecky said she repeated the names of the swimmers she trained with every day to maintain her focus, which never wavered.
“Three years ago in Tokyo, I was repeating my grandmother’s name in my head, and today I basically have the boys’ names memorized, like the Florida boys that I train with every day,” Ledecky said. “I just keep repeating their names in my head.
“Just think about all the practices we’ve had and all the confidence I’ve gained from training and playing with them and playing against them.”
Ledecky’s victory provided a relatively rare golden moment in Paris swimming for the American team, which was expected to dominate at La Defense but ended up with just three gold medals. – Rappler.com
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