America’s Katie Ledecky broke her world record in the 800 with a flourish Friday and Michael Phelps lost his last individual race of the Rio Olympics.
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It was special, indeed: With a time of 8:04.79, Ledecky obliterated her own Olympic record of 8:12.86 (set in a qualifying heat in Rio), and took her world record down by nearly two seconds.
Great Britain’s Jazz Carlin finished in silver with 8:16.17, while Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas rounded out the podium with a time of 8:16.37.
American Leah Smith finished sixth with a time of 8:20.95.
Ledecky was practically racing against a yellow line on Friday night, which represents the Olympic record she set at the 2012 Olympics. She is also the the first woman since America’s Debbie Meyer in 1968 to take gold in the 200-, 400- and 800- meter freestyle, according to The New York Times.
She is the third American female swimmer after Amy Van Dyken (1996 Atlanta Games) and Missy Franklin (2012) to win four golds in a single Olympics. Canada’s Hilary Caldwell won the bronze medal.
“It felt faster than any event I had ever done before”, Ledecky said, “so I was pretty confident that I would be under that world record time”.
Fellow countryman Nathan Adrian won the bronze at 21.49 seconds, while France’s Florent Manaudou took the silver at 21.41 seconds.
“I am grateful for where I am right now, to be able to stand up there and hear our national anthem is something I am definitely soaking in”, she said. She set an unbelievable record with a time of eight minutes and 4.79 seconds.
In all, Phelps has won four gold medals at these Games, two in relays as well as the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley.
Then she waited for the rest of the field finish.
Joseph Schooling of Singapore built a big lead on the opening lap and easily held off the hard-charging Michael Phelps to win gold in the 100-meter butterfly. I’m just so happy I didn’t mess it up and I gave Katie a chance. She again made it clear that she is unquestionably the best 800-meter freestyler in the world. She won by almost 12 seconds.
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“The fact she has backed up silver in the 400m and come away with two silver medals at an Olympic Games is just fantastic, ” said Adlington. “The way she swims is very much the way I tried to swim”.
