PARIS (Reuters) – If there was one safe bet to be made at the Paris Olympics pool it was Katie Ledecky winning the women’s 1,500 metres freestyle, and the American once again on Wednesday proved she is swimming’s sure thing, powering her way to another gold.
As it has been for more than a decade, the question wasn’t if Ledecky, the reigning Olympic champion, would win the 1,500 but by how much, leaving the field in her powerful wake storming to the wall first in 15 minutes 30.02 seconds and into the swimming record books.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Swimming – Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final – Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France – July 31, 2024. Katie Ledecky of United States celebrates after winning gold and setting a new Olympic record. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
It was a history-making swim by the 27-year-old American who pocketed her eighth Olympic gold medal to join compatriot Jenny Thompson for most by a female swimmer.
Ledecky also becomes the first female swimmer to stand at the top of the podium at four Olympics, joining compatriots Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte – the only men to have accomplished that feat.
More significantly after her 1,500 win and a bronze in the 400m free Ledecky stands on the brink of Phelps-like greatness.
One more gold medal in Paris will bring her haul from four Games to nine, matching the record for most by any woman Olympic athlete held by gymnast Larisa Latynina.
With the 800m free and possible relays still to come, Ledecky could leave Paris officially crowned the greatest female Olympian ever.
“I try not to think about history very much or any of that but I know those names,” said Ledecky. “Those people that I’m up with, they’re swimmers that I looked up to when I first started swimming, so it’s an honour just to be named among them.
“I’m grateful for them inspiring me and so many great swimmers over the years in the U.S. that have helped me get to this moment.”
While Ledecky’s winning time was almost 10 seconds off her own world record of 15:20.48 set in 2018 the effort was more than enough to bring her home almost half a pool length and 10.33 seconds clear of Frenchwoman Anastasiia Kirpichnikova.
Germany’s Isabel Gose won bronze.
Ledecky has absolutely owned the 1,500, posting the 19 fastest times in the event and setting the last six world records.
Like all her 1,500m swims the outcome was decided early as Ledecky powered a length clear of the pack after the first 100 and like and then relentlessly added to her advantage with each split.
Out front alone Ledecky said she kept repeating the names of the swimmers she trains with every day to maintain her focus that never seemed to waver.
“Three years ago in Tokyo, I was repeating my grandmother’s names in my head a lot and today I kind of settled on the boys’ names, like the boys at Florida that I train with every day,” said Ledecky. “I was just kind of repeating their names in my head.
“Just thinking of all the practices that we’ve done and all the confidence that I get from training, from being next to them and racing them.”
Ledecky’s win provided what has been a relatively rare golden moment for the U.S. in the Paris pool. Americans were expected to dominate the action at La Defense Arena but have managed just three golds.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Paris; Additional reporting Rohith Nair; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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