PARIS - No American woman has won more Olympic medals than Katie Ledecky.
She claimed her record-breaking 13th medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay, collecting silver to surpass former record holder and fellow Cardinal alum Jenny Thompson with 12. Team USA posted a runner-up of 7:40.86 to finish behind Australia, with Ledecky swimming the third leg.
It is just the most recent addition to a laundry list of accolades for the 27-year-old. On Wednesday, Ledecky tied the American record for most gold medals won by a female athlete in the Olympic Games with eight, an accomplishment also shared by Thompson.
Ledecky will continue to chase history on Friday morning when she competes in the 800 free prelims, with the event finals on Saturday morning. A gold medal will give her the most gold medals by American woman and tie Russia's Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals of any female Olympian with nine.
Simone Manuel also earned silver in the event for her second relay medal of the week, helping Team USA punch its ticket to the event finals as a member of the prelim group.
Manuel also swam the relay's third leg, splitting a 1:58.50 to help the United States win Heat 1 with a 7:52.72 and finish fourth overall in the prelim session. She will continue her Olympic competition on August 3 with the 50 freestyle.