Swimming rocked as legend Katie Ledecky does the unthinkable
Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky shattered her near nine-year-old record in the 800m freestyle on Saturday, clocking 8min 04.12 to win at the Tyr Pro Swim Series meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Ledecky, 28, improved on the previous record of 8:04.79 that she set at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on August 12, 2016.
It was Ledecky's first world record in a long-course 50m pool since 2018. The performance capped a stellar week for Ledecky, who posted the second-fastest 1,500m free in history on Wednesday and swam the second-fastest 400m free of her career a day later.
Her performance left swimming commentators blown away.
You can watch the dramatic moment in the video player above.
American swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines posted on X: 'If anyone still thinks that Katie Ledecky is not the greatest female swimmer in history, you have no idea what you're talking about.
'Not the greatest female freestyler in history. The greatest…period.'
The USA Swimming Federation called her 'freakish'.
Jillian Cox was second in the race, 19.46sec back on 8:23.58. Claire Weinstein was third in 8:26.06.
Ledecky said she was 'fired up' after her 1,500m free, which launched her first elite competition since the Paris Olympics last year.
In Paris she won the 1,500m free and also claimed a fourth straight 800m free gold as she equalled the record for most gold medals won by a woman athlete in any sport.
She owns the 10 fastest 800m free times in history, with Canadian Summer McIntosh the second-fastest performer with her career-best time of 8:09.86.
Since Ledecky burst onto the international scene with her 800m free triumph at the 2012 London Olympics, she has been beaten in the event only once, when McIntosh defeated her at a meeting in Florida in February of last year.
But this week, Ledecky has demonstrated she's still the woman to beat as she looks toward the World Championships in Singapore July 27-August 3.
The US trials will be held June 3-7 in Indianapolis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Out with the young and in with the old: A mid-year All-Australian team with a difference
So, seven players aged 30-plus make this mid-year 22, as the AFL competition follows the trend of tennis – see Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams – and American team sports in which 35 is the new 30, and quarterbacks play until they can't walk. Selecting three of the forwards for this mid-year team – picked inclusive of round 12 performances (not this weekend's games) – was easier than usual. Cameron, Hogan, and Elliott (who has never been All-Australian) pick themselves and while some would push up Ben King, given his goal tally, Gold Coast's key forward hasn't shaped outcomes in the same way as Jezza and Jesse. King's teammate Ben Long, though, is another story. Loading Long, who has jagged 23 goals in his 10 games to round 12, has been a standout in a role that is not dissimilar to Elliott's – as a forward who can lead and mark, but is no mug on the deck and assists others in scoring. Dangerfield's impact as an explosive aerial and ground ball mid-forward can't be undersold, and if his hamstrings hold up, he should be headed for his record ninth All-Australian blazer. Riley Thilthorpe, a Tom Lynch-style key forward, is named at centre half-forward, allowing me to pick Cameron as a flanker, which reflects his freaky ground-level abilities. As the AFL's headband act, Bailey Smith has been omnipresent, his every gesture captured by cameras and dissected by pundits and the public. But, much as there is focus on his postings and postures, everyone must have cottoned on, so to speak, to the fact that Bailey's been nearly the AFL's peak midfielder – as the Brownlow odds suggest (he's one of the favourites). He has prospered mightily from Geelong's decision to deploy him in the middle, rather than the wing or as a high half-forward. So, @bazlenka – as he's known by his Instagram idolaters – is in the centre, in every sense, in this mid-year side. Hugh McCluggage isn't a wingman in 2025, as he enjoys his best season yet, but I've conveniently picked him – and Sidebottom – on the wings that they've vacated this year; no specialist wingman (eg. Ollie Dempsey) has done enough to warrant selection to this point. Gun midfielders, on the whole, have been less than dominant this year. Marcus Bontempelli missed the early games and could yet make the All-Australian side by season's end. Nick Daicos has been paramount to Collingwood winning some games, but has also been relatively subdued in three or four outings, having been more heavily tagged this year. Still, the younger Daicos is so brilliant that he's still up on the midfield leaderboard. I've picked him on the bench, behind Adelaide's super skipper Jordan Dawson – still underrated in Victoria – and his Gold Coast counterpart Noah Anderson. The numbers – in the form of the AFL's official ratings (Champion Data) – would rank Anderson as the competition's third-best performed player to round 12, behind only Bulldog Ed Richards and North's version of 'the Mountain' from Game of Thrones, Tristan Xerri. Richards gets a game in this side, with Nick Daicos, on the bench. It's conceivable that the rise of Ed Richards was a factor in Smith heading to Geelong, given the Dogs found it difficult to fit 'the Bont', Tom Liberatore, Richards and Bailey (plus Adam Treloar when fit) into the same centre square. Loading Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is making noises about re-signing with the Saints, and for their sake, let's hope that transpires. He's a superb play-maker from half-back, with further growth ahead, and was accordingly picked at half-back in my team. Bailey Dale, a rare half-back capable of garnering 40 disposals, is the other flanker in defence, edging out Fremantle's Jordan Clark, Collingwood's Josh Daicos, Lion veteran Dayne Zorko and others for that berth. The consistent Lachie Ash of GWS fills the remaining running defender spot (notionally back pocket). Teammate Sam Taylor, whom Matthew Lloyd compared to Glen Jakovich for influence, was picked at centre half-back. The key backs, as with the midfielders this year, haven't been as outstanding as in years past. Jacob Weitering of Carlton has put up respectable numbers – and lord help the Blues if he went down – but hasn't had a terrific season. Possibly the stiffest to miss the defensive spots are St Kilda's interceptor Cal Wilkie and Richmond's perennial gun Nick Vlastuin. I judged that Gold Coast's Collins had been marginally more effective, in a collectively superior defence. North people will wonder why Xerri hasn't made this team, since he is rated statistically better than Gawn (on Champion Data ratings) this year, and might view this as a plot against Shinboners. Loading Here's major difference: Xerri, while heroic in ruck battle and adept at winning clearances, doesn't fulfil one key performance indicator for ruckman and tall players – marking the footy (only 1.7 per game to round 12). Luke Jackson is aerially superior and more versatile – as shown when he played as a tall midfielder against the Suns last weekend. He gets the second ruck slot on the bench. The final interchange berth – there is no sub here – belongs to the spare midfielder, Freo's Andrew Brayshaw, who isn't as skilled as Bontempelli and Daicos, nor as powerful as Dangerfield, or as smooth-moving as McCluggage. But Brayshaw does two essentials exceptionally well – running and getting the footy.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Out with the young and in with the old: A mid-year All-Australian team with a difference
So, seven players aged 30-plus make this mid-year 22, as the AFL competition follows the trend of tennis – see Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams – and American team sports in which 35 is the new 30, and quarterbacks play until they can't walk. Selecting three of the forwards for this mid-year team – picked inclusive of round 12 performances (not this weekend's games) – was easier than usual. Cameron, Hogan, and Elliott (who has never been All-Australian) pick themselves and while some would push up Ben King, given his goal tally, Gold Coast's key forward hasn't shaped outcomes in the same way as Jezza and Jesse. King's teammate Ben Long, though, is another story. Loading Long, who has jagged 23 goals in his 10 games to round 12, has been a standout in a role that is not dissimilar to Elliott's – as a forward who can lead and mark, but is no mug on the deck and assists others in scoring. Dangerfield's impact as an explosive aerial and ground ball mid-forward can't be undersold, and if his hamstrings hold up, he should be headed for his record ninth All-Australian blazer. Riley Thilthorpe, a Tom Lynch-style key forward, is named at centre half-forward, allowing me to pick Cameron as a flanker, which reflects his freaky ground-level abilities. As the AFL's headband act, Bailey Smith has been omnipresent, his every gesture captured by cameras and dissected by pundits and the public. But, much as there is focus on his postings and postures, everyone must have cottoned on, so to speak, to the fact that Bailey's been nearly the AFL's peak midfielder – as the Brownlow odds suggest (he's one of the favourites). He has prospered mightily from Geelong's decision to deploy him in the middle, rather than the wing or as a high half-forward. So, @bazlenka – as he's known by his Instagram idolaters – is in the centre, in every sense, in this mid-year side. Hugh McCluggage isn't a wingman in 2025, as he enjoys his best season yet, but I've conveniently picked him – and Sidebottom – on the wings that they've vacated this year; no specialist wingman (eg. Ollie Dempsey) has done enough to warrant selection to this point. Gun midfielders, on the whole, have been less than dominant this year. Marcus Bontempelli missed the early games and could yet make the All-Australian side by season's end. Nick Daicos has been paramount to Collingwood winning some games, but has also been relatively subdued in three or four outings, having been more heavily tagged this year. Still, the younger Daicos is so brilliant that he's still up on the midfield leaderboard. I've picked him on the bench, behind Adelaide's super skipper Jordan Dawson – still underrated in Victoria – and his Gold Coast counterpart Noah Anderson. The numbers – in the form of the AFL's official ratings (Champion Data) – would rank Anderson as the competition's third-best performed player to round 12, behind only Bulldog Ed Richards and North's version of 'the Mountain' from Game of Thrones, Tristan Xerri. Richards gets a game in this side, with Nick Daicos, on the bench. It's conceivable that the rise of Ed Richards was a factor in Smith heading to Geelong, given the Dogs found it difficult to fit 'the Bont', Tom Liberatore, Richards and Bailey (plus Adam Treloar when fit) into the same centre square. Loading Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is making noises about re-signing with the Saints, and for their sake, let's hope that transpires. He's a superb play-maker from half-back, with further growth ahead, and was accordingly picked at half-back in my team. Bailey Dale, a rare half-back capable of garnering 40 disposals, is the other flanker in defence, edging out Fremantle's Jordan Clark, Collingwood's Josh Daicos, Lion veteran Dayne Zorko and others for that berth. The consistent Lachie Ash of GWS fills the remaining running defender spot (notionally back pocket). Teammate Sam Taylor, whom Matthew Lloyd compared to Glen Jakovich for influence, was picked at centre half-back. The key backs, as with the midfielders this year, haven't been as outstanding as in years past. Jacob Weitering of Carlton has put up respectable numbers – and lord help the Blues if he went down – but hasn't had a terrific season. Possibly the stiffest to miss the defensive spots are St Kilda's interceptor Cal Wilkie and Richmond's perennial gun Nick Vlastuin. I judged that Gold Coast's Collins had been marginally more effective, in a collectively superior defence. North people will wonder why Xerri hasn't made this team, since he is rated statistically better than Gawn (on Champion Data ratings) this year, and might view this as a plot against Shinboners. Loading Here's major difference: Xerri, while heroic in ruck battle and adept at winning clearances, doesn't fulfil one key performance indicator for ruckman and tall players – marking the footy (only 1.7 per game to round 12). Luke Jackson is aerially superior and more versatile – as shown when he played as a tall midfielder against the Suns last weekend. He gets the second ruck slot on the bench. The final interchange berth – there is no sub here – belongs to the spare midfielder, Freo's Andrew Brayshaw, who isn't as skilled as Bontempelli and Daicos, nor as powerful as Dangerfield, or as smooth-moving as McCluggage. But Brayshaw does two essentials exceptionally well – running and getting the footy.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Coco Gauff defeats top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to win her first French Open title
Paris: Coco Gauff has won the French Open for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday's final. The second-ranked Gauff came out on top of a contest that was full of tension and momentum swings to claim her second major trophy after the 2023 US Open, where she also came from a set down to beat Sabalenka in the final. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands before resting her forehand on the clay. After greeting Sabalenka at the net, she hugged film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage, three years after she lost in her first final at Roland-Garros. Sabalenka started the deciding set strongly, sticking to her high-risk approach to hold her first service game. Gauff responded by raising her level, winning a superb rally in the third game that drew loud cheers and applause from the crowd. After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs — only for Gauff to intercept it at the net and finish with a winner. Gauff was consistent from the baseline and earned a break point which she converted when Sabalenka double-faulted, giving her a 2-1 lead. Sabalenka turned toward her box and shouted in frustration but then regained her composure, breaking back to level the match at 3-3. She was broken again at love, however, and Gauff then held serve twice to claim the title after a match that lasted 2 hours, 38 minutes.
