What world record did U.S. swimming star Katie Ledecky just tie at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
The American was already considered the greatest female American swimmer in history. Her latest feat is simply more confirmation of that idea.
The distance by which Katie Ledecky beat her nearest challenger was yet another reminder to fans and neutrals alike that we’re not dealing with simply a star of swimming, but rather a legend who will have a profound impact on the sport before her career comes to an end.
Katie Ledecky just keeps on making history
The anticipation ahead of Wednesday’s night meet featuring U.S. swimming star Katie Ledecky was only surpassed by the excitement that was witnessed once it got going at La Défense Arena. Ledecky was, as she has always been, a monster in the pool, as she once again made her case for the title of greatest female Olympian in history.
Swimming in the 1,500-meter freestyle, an event she has dominated for some time now, Ledecky won by a staggering 10.33 seconds over silver medalist Anastasiya Kirpichnikova of France and 11.14 seconds over bronze medalist Isabel Gose of Germany, to record a time of 15:30.02. As is her way, the 27-year-old wasted no time in putting distance between herself and the rest of the competition and continued to do so as she steadily went to work in the 30-lap race. So great was that distance that ESPN’s post on X joked that no other swimmer could be seen in the frame as she touched the wall for victory. Of course, what’s even more impressive is that Ledecky’s time as an Olympic record and her eighth-fastest 1,500 of all time. To that end, the Washington DC native holds the top 20 times in history. The win also marked her eighth career gold medal with two events remaining on her slate in the Olympics.
Further to that, Ledecky is now just the seventh athlete in history to win gold in four different Olympics, and just the second swimmer - Michael Phelps being the other. The only other woman to do the same was Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho between 2004 and 2016. To be clear, Ledecky’s latest medal means she is now tied for second in Olympic history among females across all sports, the all-time leader being Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina who holds nine. With that in mind, she can in theory equal or surpass Latynina given that he still has the 800 freestyle relay on Thursday and the individual 800 on Sunday.
In all, Ledecky now holds 12 medals, eight of which are gold while three are silver and one is bronze. That figure puts her in a four-way tie with fellow American swimmers Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin. It’s worth noting that had the women’s 1,500 been part of the Olympic setup prior to the Tokyo Games in 2021, it’s quite likely that Ledecky would already have two gold medals which would truly set her apart. Nonetheless, here we are with three women ahead of her on the all-time medal list: The aforementioned Latynina with 18 (nine gold, five silver, four bronze); Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen with 15 (eight gold, four silver, three bronze); and Dutch speed skater Ireen Wust with 13 (six gold, five silver, two bronze). So, if we assume that Ledecky can climb to 14 medals in Paris, then we’ve got the real possibility that given her age, she could add even more in Los Angeles when the 2028 Olympic Games roll around. If you’re wondering, she has already stated her intent to compete in her home country in four years at which time she will be 31 years old. Watch this space.