Katie Ledecky is truly in her best era. On 25th July the Olympic athlete joined the swimming legend to be a part of history. In the 1500m event held in Fakuta, Japan, the athlete, apart from securing her ticket to the big game next year, also won her individual 15th gold at the championship, tying her record with swimming sensation Michael Phelps.
Alongside the huge record-breaking win, Katie Ledecky added another historical record to her list at the event. The 26-year-old won her fifth 1500 freestyle title at this event, making her the first swimmer to win two world championship events multiple times.
Katie Ledecky creates history
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Apart from joining the swimming star Michael Phelps shoulder to shoulder, on July 25, Katie Ledecky added one more page in the history of the world championship to her name. The 26-year-old athlete, after her win at the 1500m event, became the first swimmer to win multiple events five times at the world championship. Currently, Katie Ledecky has five titles in both 800m and 1500m under her name. The freestyle expert finished this historic race with her third-best time of the season.
Ledecky’s rivals were no match at the event, as the swimmer finished the race in just 15:26:27. The athlete won the race by a mile, with no swimmer to be seen near the wall for about 17 seconds after her win. Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella finished the event in second place by touching the wall in 15:43:31. And with almost 3 seconds difference, Li Bingjee secured the third position on the podium with a time of 15:45.71.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Ledecky, while talking about her performance this year, stated, “I’m just feeling locked into my distance races right now; I dove in and felt really good.” The athlete’s comeback since 2019 has been truly phenomenal. From Tokyo to dominating the World Championships, the US swimmer is creating history almost every year.
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The staunch comeback of Katie Ledecky
In 2019, while participating in her fourth world championship, Ledecky announced she would withdraw from the championship. After losing her strength on the final lap of a 400-meter event, The athlete’s team, after consultation with the medical team, announced that due to her sickness, she would withdraw from the event. But since making a comeback at the Tokyo Olympics, the athlete has showcased her best form. In Tokyo, the athlete won Gold in the first ever 1500m women’s freestyle in the Olympics. Further, the athlete also regained her world championship title in Budapest.
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However, the swimmer truly reached the pinnacle this year. The athlete with a total medal count of over 24 and winning the most events in the world championship is breaking records almost at every event in Fakuta. On Sunday, Ledecky is also expected to break her tie with Phelps at the next 800m event on July 30.
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