INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JUNE 03: Katie Ledecky looks on after competing in the Women’s 800m … More
Since the start of her career, Katie Ledecky has dominated the 800 free event, losing the race only once in her career. On the first day of the Toyota National Championships, the 28-year-old yet again dominated the race with a comfortable lead from the start. Ledecky touched the wall first in 8:05.76 seconds, swimming under her own world record pace halfway through the race. With a 13.91-second lead, she clocked the third-fastest time in history, helping her to qualify for the World Championships in July.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the first notable outing by Ledecky this year. In May, she broke the 800 free world record in 8:04.12 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series. She was half a second faster than her own previous record of 8:04.79 set at the 2016 Olympics. Ledecky, who has won four consecutive Olympic golds in the event, currently also owns 11 of the all-time top long-course performances in history.
“The 800m was my last race in Fort Lauderdale, and then having it as the first race here, it kind of felt like I was just going right back into it,” she said. Ledecky was followed by Claire Weinstein and Jillian Cox in 8:19.67 and 8:19.88, respectively.
Ledecky’s Steady Momentum
Katie Ledecky’s performance has been steadily improving over the years. Since leaving Stanford in 2021 to train with Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida, her 800 free performance has showcased a significant resurgence breaking the 8:10 sub-barrier six times following the transition. Her 800 free world record in May also helped her break her first long-course record in seven years. Prior to that, Ledecky had taken down the record five times between 2013 and 2016. At Fort Lauderdale she also managed to swim the second-fastest 400 free of her career and the second-fastest time in the 1500 free.
According to Ledecky, her world-record winning comeback has been possible due to her training following the post-Olympic break. Ledecky, who faced a few “ups and downs” during the Olympic year, including health issues, “hurt some of the momentum” she built in 2022 and 2023. However, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist, who has remained “healthy for most of the year,” was able to “pick back up her momentum last fall.”
Katie Ledecky, who “felt really relaxed” during her race on Tuesday, is now only a month away from participating in her seventh World Championships. Notably, she will be presented with one more chance to create history this season and become the first swimmer to win the seventh world title in the same event.
