PARIS, FRANCE – August 1, 2024 – At the 2024 Paris Games, Katie Ledecky was a lock for gold in the women’s 1500m freestyle. The long-distance swimming powerhouse, who holds the top 19 times in the event’s history, made her mark again, having already won the 1500m in its Olympic debut in Tokyo. This race was more about the margin of victory than if she’d win.
A Historic Win
Ledecky finished with a stunning time of 15:30.02, setting a new Olympic record and finishing ten seconds ahead of the runner-up. This victory brings her total to eight Olympic gold medals, tying her with Jenny Thompson for the most gold medals by an American woman. Ledecky also tied Thompson, Natalie Coughlin, and Dara Torres for the most Olympic medals (12) by any U.S. woman.
Reflecting on her achievement, Ledecky shared, “I try not to think about history very much. I know those names, those people I’m up with. They’re people I looked up to when I first started swimming. It’s an honor to be named among them. I’m grateful for their inspiration. Many great swimmers have helped me get to this moment.”
Race Breakdown
In a pre-race surprise, Natalie Coughlin kicked off the swim session with “les trois coups,” a traditional Paris 2024 ritual.
The race went as expected, with Ledecky at the 500m mark ahead of her own world record by 0.11 seconds. Ledecky, who set the world record in 2013 and has broken it five times since, maintained a blistering pace.
At the halfway point, the battle for second place was thrilling. France’s Anastasia Kirpichnikova, Italy’s Simona Quadarella, and Germany’s Isabel Gose were neck-and-neck.
With 400m left, Ledecky was six seconds behind her world-record pace but still leading the Olympic-record pace. She showcased her dominance with lap times consistently in the 31-second range. Kirpichnikova held a solid second place while Quadarella and Gose fought for the bronze.
As Ledecky approached the final lap, it was clear she was going to finish far ahead. The question was whether she’d set a new Olympic record. The crowd roared as Ledecky touched the wall with a time of 15:30.02, marking one of her top performances at this distance.
Final Results and Upcoming Events
In the end, France’s Kirpichnikova took silver, and Germany’s Gose grabbed bronze with a time of 15:41.16.
Ledecky had already won a bronze medal in the women’s 400m freestyle. Her next chance to add to her medal count will be in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay on Thursday. If she wins, she’ll notch her 13th career Olympic medal, becoming the most decorated female U.S. Olympian in history, trailing only Michael Phelps, who has 28 medals.
Ledecky’s next individual event is the women’s 800m freestyle, with preliminary heats on Friday, August 2nd, and the final set for Saturday, August 3rd.
Stay tuned for more updates as Katie Ledecky continues her incredible journey at the 2024 Paris Olympics, chasing even more history.