Ledecky’s Friday win completes her sweep of three events at the same Olympics – the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle, on top of the 800 – making her the first woman to do so since USA swimmer Debbie Meyer did so at Mexico City in 1968. “It was just a very happy moment and it’s been incredible to share that journey with him”.
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Ledecky’s gold medal-winning time of 8:04.79 set a new world record – besting, of course, a world record she already owned – and placed her more than 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Jazz Carlin of Britain. So surely he will go down in history as the greatest swimmer of all time or will he?. And I think in the future we’re going to look back, and the sport’s history will be divided into pre-Katie and post-Katie.
Ledecky joined compatriots Janet Evans and Brooke Bennett as the only swimmers to win this event at two Olympics and now owns the top 11 times ever in the event. “It feels like Gold that I’m after her”.
Just moments prior, Ledecky had beat out her own world record by almost two seconds with a final time of 8 minutes, 4.79 seconds, 11 seconds ahead of Great Britain’s Jazz Carlin, who came in second. “That really meant a lot to me”.
Before the Rio Games began, Ledecky was asked if breaking the eight-minute barrier was within her reach.
“It’s kind of the end of a four-year dream”, she said. “But it hasn’t derailed me, I’ve done it under the stress, made the final, so less stress tomorrow night, the bus turns up, it will be all good”.
A 19-year-old American swimmer, Katie Ledecky is threatening to leave Phelps in her shadow and her sheer domination in the pool is something even Phelps would be proud of. Then, after her coach moved to the West Coast, Ledecky hooked up with Bruce Gemmell and never missed a beat.
The 26-year-old, a multiple medallist at world, European and Commonwealth level, is chasing her first Olympic medal.
Former double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington praised Carlin’s silver double at Rio and insists her success in Brazil has “written off” any disappointment from London 2012.
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Twenty-one-year-old Joseph Schooling of Singapore got off to a blistering start, building a lead that not even Phelps could overcome. He wound up in a three-way tie for second with Laszlo Cseh of Hungary and Chad Le Clos of South Africa. But he’ll have to do with some help from his teammates, swimming in the butterfly leg of the 400 medley relay on the final night of swimming Saturday.
