American swimming superstar Katie Ledecky held off Ariarne Titmus of Australia in the women’s 800-meter freestyle Olympic gold medal on Saturday, successfully defending her title for the fourth consecutive time.
Ledecky, who holds both the Olympic and world record, finished the race in 8 minutes 11.04 seconds, more than a second ahead of Titmus.
Katie Ledecky will compete in the women’s 800m freestyle final at the Paris 2024 Games on Saturday. (Manan Vatsayana/AFP via Getty Images)
With her victory, Ledecky has now won her fourth consecutive gold medal in the event, making her just the second swimmer in history and the first woman to win four consecutive Summer Olympic gold medals. She joins fellow American Michael Phelps, who won the 200-meter individual medley four times in a row.
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The 27-year-old swimmer became just the sixth Olympian to win nine gold medals.
The 800m freestyle is the event that put Ledecky on the map. She made her debut in the event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she won her first Olympic gold medal. She has held the record ever since, and currently owns 29 of the top 30 times in the event.
Katie Ledecky will compete in the women’s 800m freestyle final on August 3, 2024. She has successfully defended her title for a record fourth consecutive tournament. (Maddy Meyer/Getty Images)
Katie Ledecky wins record-breaking 13th Olympic medal in women’s 4x200m freestyle relay
She’s also established herself as one of the best long-distance swimmers around, and as expected, she won gold in the women’s 1,500m freestyle earlier this week, tying her with Jenny Thompson as the most Olympic gold medal-winning female athlete of all time.
Ledecky quickly broke that tie, winning a historic 13th medal (silver) in the women’s 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay on Thursday.
Team USA athlete Katie Ledecky reacts after winning the gold medal in the women’s 800m freestyle final during the eighth day of the Paris Olympics on August 3, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Eurasia Sports Images/Getty Images)
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Ledecky’s 14 Olympic medals after Saturday’s final ranks second all-time among athletes in any sport.
Only one person has won more medals than Phelps, with 28 total, including 23 Olympic gold medals.
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