Katie Ledecky is now the solo record-holder for many particular person gold medals on the international championships.
The American swimmer gained her sixteenth identify Saturday within the girls’s 800-meter freestyle in Fukuoka, Japan. That surpassed fellow American Michael Phelps’ unique listing — which Ledecky tied Tuesday when she gained the 1,500-meter girls’s freestyle.
Ledecky’s win additionally marked her 6th international championship within the tournament. She led from begin to end and cruised to victory with a time of 8:08.87 — 4 seconds slower than her 2016 international listing — and beat the second-place finisher via 4.44 seconds.
Ledecky, 26, now has 21 overall gold medals on the international championships with relay occasions integrated.
“It was once particular,” Ledecky stated on Peacock. “I’m pleased with that swim. I sought after to be just a little bit higher [time-wise], however I’ll take it. I’m in point of fact happy with how the week went.”
Whilst she beat Phelps in particular person objectives at the international degree, she nonetheless trails him via 16 gold medals at the Olympic degree. Alternatively, Ledecky most effective wishes 3 gold medals to climb into moment position amongst all Olympic athletes at the back of Phelps and forward of gymnast Larisa Latynina (Soviet Union), swimmer Mark Spitz (United States), monitor and box athlete Carl Lewis (U.S), and long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi (Finland).
3 extra overall medals would additionally put Ledecky at in first position amongst all feminine Olympic swimmers and moment amongst all Olympic swimmers.
For now, regardless that, Ledecky has one of the vital spectacular information within the recreation of swimming. The following goal is, in fact, the 2024 Summer time Olympics in Paris which start in nearly precisely a 12 months from this weekend.
