Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke, Gretchen Walsh win third titles at nationals, history calls at worlds
Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke and Gretchen Walsh capped the Toyota U.S. Swimming Championships by each winning their third event of the meet on Saturday.
They will lead the U.S. team at the World Championships in July and August in Singapore.
Ledecky extended a 15-year win streak in the 1500m freestyle, an event where she holds the 23 fastest times in history. She clocked 15 minutes, 36.76 seconds, distancing the field by more than 25 seconds in Indianapolis.
Ledecky has the world's fastest times this year in the 400m, 800m and 1500m frees. At worlds, she can build on her female record 21 career world titles.
SWIMMING: Results
If Ledecky sweeps her three individual events and is part of a winning 4x200m free relay, she will move one shy of Michael Phelps' overall record 26 world titles.
She is also one medal shy of Ryan Lochte for the second-most total medals in championships history. Phelps earned 33, Lochte had 27 and Ledecky is at 26 overall.
Australian Ariarne Titmus, the Olympic 400m free gold medalist and 800m free silver medalist, is taking a break from competition this year.
So Ledecky's primary competition will be 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, the Olympic 400m free silver medalist ahead of Ledecky.
McIntosh is also the second-fastest woman in history in the 800m free behind Ledecky. She did not race it at the Paris Games, but said last week that she might do so in Singapore.
Walsh has the world's top times this year in the 50m and 100m butterflies and the 50m free, which she won at nationals on Saturday. Walsh tied training partner Kate Douglass' American record of 23.91 seconds.
She seeks her first individual title at a major international meet in a 50-meter pool. Walsh won seven gold medals and broke nine individual world records at last December's world short course championships in the less-used 25-meter pool.
Finke won the 800m and 1500m frees at nationals — his two Olympic gold medal events — plus the 400m individual medley, though he won't race that event at worlds. The 1500m free and 400m IM finals are in the same session in Singapore.
Finke is already a world champion in the 800m, but in the 1500m he will bid to become the first American man to win that event at worlds since Tim Shaw in 1975.
Also Saturday, Shaine Casas and Alex Walsh won the men's and women's 200m individual medleys in the fastest and second-fastest times in the world this year, respectively.
U.S. Championships highlights air Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
Nick Zaccardi,
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