This week’s FINA Swimming World Cup marks the first competitive event of the season for Katie Ledecky, and the American couldn’t have created a bigger splash. The 10-time Olympic medalist shattered the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle by nearly 10 seconds Saturday at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Ledecky finished the event in 15:08.24, a major improvement over the previous world record of 15:18.01 set by Germany’s Sarah Wellbrock in 2019. Brazil’s Beatriz Dizotti (15:48.82) and Canada’s Laila Oravsky (16:16.86) finished behind Ledecky in second and third, respectively.
Take a look at Ledecky’s historic effort, and the raucous reception it got from the crowd, here:
While the crowd seemed in disbelief after Ledecky’s record-breaking performance, it was hardly a surprise to Ledecky herself.
“I knew that record was within reach just based on some things I’ve done in training, especially my distance stuff (as it) has felt really good this fall,” Ledecky said, according to the Associated Press. “So I felt locked into the pace.”
Locked in is an understatement. Ledecky was so fast she nearly broke the 800-meter freestyle world record on top of it all by posting a split of 8:00.58 at the halfway point. The current world record is held by — you guessed it — Ledecky, who finished in 8:04.79 at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Only 25, Ledecky has established herself as one of the greatest swimmers of all time. She is a three-time Olympian and has won seven Olympic gold medals and three bronzes over her illustrious and still burgeoning career.
Katie Ledecky shatters world record in 1,500-meter freestyle by nearly 10 seconds in FINA Swimming World Cup
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