Ledecky, who deferred enrollment at Stanford for a year to focus on the Rio Games, won in a time of 3 minutes 56.46 seconds.
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The other American swimming in these semifinals, Missy Franklin, finished last in her semifinal and tied for 13th overall with a time of one minute and 57.56 seconds. Jazz Carlin of Great Britain won the silver. “I was just trying to set a (personal) best time, and for me that just happens to be a world record”.
“I think it will be the fastest 200 final in history, we never had such high performances in heats, ” she told reporters.
With sixteen golds and one silver, in major global competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships, Ledecky has already made her mark as one of the most promising young athletes in the world of women’s sport.
The victory was especially satisfying for Phelps, who was part of the USA team that lost the 2012 Olympic final. Katie Ledecky, the 19-year-old US swimming phenom, has fast become one of the biggest stars of the Rio Olympics.
On Sunday night, she did just that, knocking almost two seconds off the world record in the 400 free to secure her first gold medal of these Games. Adrian’s 46.97 anchor secured a 3:09.92 win, with France settling for the second in 3:10.53 and Australia the bronze in 3:11.37.
Phelps, racing in the No. 2 slot, as he did in Athens and London, swam his best 4×100 leg in his four Olympics.
“When she does that, part of you is in awe and part of you is trying like insane to catch up to her”, Smith said of Ledecky with a laugh. She finished 12th in the preliminary heats and has struggled to repeat her performance from the 2012 Olympics, where she won four gold medals. American Dana Vollmer rounded out the podium with a bronze medal.
The network saw a much-needed ratings boost for its Olympics coverage Sunday night after two nights of viewership numbers that looked dismal compared to what it got with its coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
She led right from the start and touched in 55.48, knocking off the mark of 55.64 she established at last year’s world championships.
Russia’s entire Paralympic team will be barred from next month’s Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in the latest blow to the country over its doping scandal. Sunday night was another reminder that it’s Ledecky’s world.
“I feel like every year at the big championship meets, my stroke just feels as good as it ever has”, she said.
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Katie Ledecky’s 4.77-second win is over a second more than the margin of victory in Women’s 400m Free at the previous 6 Olympics COMBINED.
