KAZAN, Russia -- The only question for Katie Ledecky Saturday at the FINA World Championships was if she would break her own 800-meter freestyle world record. A virtual lock to win her fifth gold medal of the meet, the future Stanford swimmer lowered her own world-best mark by 3.61 seconds to win by more than 10 seconds.
“I knew that I was capable of going sub-8:10,” Ledecky said, “so to go 8:07 means a lot.”
Ledecky became the first swimmer in history to sweep the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events at the World Championships with her 8:07.39 in the 800. She also added a gold as the anchor of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay squad.
“It’s really neat to say that you’ve done something nobody has done before,” Ledecky said. “I’ll enjoy this for a few days and then I’ll get back to work and hopefully there’s more to come.”
In nine career World Championship events, Ledecky has won nine gold medals. Today was her third world-record setting swim in Kazan, as she topped her old marks in the 1,500 prelims and finals.
Only Missy Franklin, who added her 11th career gold in the 4x100-meter mixed freestyle relay today, has been at the top of the Worlds podium more than Ledecky. Franklin, Stanford’s Simone Manuel, Nathan Adrian and Ryan Lochte set the mixed relay world record (3:23.05) to finish ahead of the Netherlands and Canada.