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Paris – American Katie Ledecky took the first step toward a fourth consecutive Olympic title in the 800m freestyle after qualifying for the Paris Olympic final on Friday with the best time of any competitor.
This feat has only been achieved so far by the legendary Michael Phelps, who won four consecutive gold medals in the 200m butterfly between the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But Ledecky, who tied the score last Wednesday after defeating compatriot Jenny Thompson in the 1500m final to become the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history with eight gold medals between them, doesn’t seem to tire of setting records.
As she demonstrated in the 800m freestyle heats, she outperformed her closest pursuer, fellow American Paige Madden, by nearly two seconds in 8:16.62.
That’s not only a far cry from her own world record (8:04.79 at the 2016 Rio Olympics), but also from the course’s annual world record of 8:12.95.
These statistics reflect the huge progress made by Katie Ledecky, 27, heading into Saturday’s final, as the North American will try to make her legacy even greater by winning back-to-back gold medals in the 800m freestyle.
(Rome)
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