Katie Ledecky, widely regarded as the greatest female swimmer in history, claimed Olympic gold on Wednesday night in the 1,500-metre freestyle, a race she has dominated for over a decade.
Ledecky took command early and never faced a challenge, finishing with an Olympic record time of 15:30.02. This marks her first gold medal of the Paris 2024 Games, adding to the bronze she secured on Saturday in the 400-meter freestyle.
With this victory, Ledecky has now won 12 Olympic medals across four Games, tying the record for the most Olympic swimming medals won by a woman.
She shares this prestigious accolade with fellow Americans Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, and Australian Emma McKeon, who is also competing in Paris. Ledecky still has two more events to go: the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 800-meter freestyle.
Ledecky, 27, remains undefeated in the 1,500-meter freestyle in her professional career, having won five world titles and the inaugural Olympic gold medal in the event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She holds the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle, which she has set six times, and now boasts the 20 fastest times ever recorded in this race.
The last time Ledecky was beaten in the 1,500-meter freestyle, she was a high school student competing in a regional meet in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, 14 years ago.
Katie Ledecky's Olympic medals
London 2012:
- Gold: 800m freestyle
Rio de Janeiro 2016:
- Gold: 200m freestyle
- Gold: 400m freestyle
- Gold: 800m freestyle
- Gold: 4x200m freestyle relay
- Silver: 4x100m freestyle relay
Tokyo 2020:
- Gold: 800m freestyle
- Gold: 1500m freestyle
- Silver: 400m freestyle
- Silver: 4x200m freestyle relay
Paris 2024:
- Bronze: 400m freestyle
- Gold: 1500m freestyle
Katie Ledecky's remarkable achievements continue to cement her legacy as one of the most decorated and dominant swimmers in the history of the sport.
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