Katie Ledecky wins seventh consecutive world title in 800 freestyle

Katie Ledecky stubbornly refused to surrender her 800-meter freestyle crown Saturday on the world championships in Singapore, profitable that race for a seventh consecutive time and heading off Canada’s Summer McIntosh who led a subject of proficient younger, would-be usurpers.

The seven world wins put Ledecky to the highest of charts of most triumphs in a single occasion, as she handed her personal document of six victories on the 1500 free and Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström of six titles within the 50 butterfly.

Ledecky mentioned she did not really feel an excessive amount of strain coming into this race, glad with how she’s been coaching all yr.

“It’s been a really great season and I think coming into tonight, no matter what the outcome was, I was gonna be really happy with my season,” she instructed NBC Sports. “And I think I just took the pressure off and allowed me to enjoy the race and kind of appreciate that moment.”

Ledecky compelled the early tempo with McIntosh protecting her in shut vary.

The younger Canadian then took a short, 0.14-second lead after 700, with Ledecky’s dominance showing to teeter.

But the veteran discovered one other gear and shortly regained the lead earlier than heading into the ultimate 50 with a .25-second edge over McIntosh, a bonus the American prolonged as she closed out one other win.

McIntosh fell to 3rd behind Australia’s Lani Pallister.

“That last 100 was pretty stressful,” Ledecky mentioned. “Lani was and Summer was right there.”

Ledecky clocked in at 8:05.62, Pallister at 8:05.98 and McIntosh 8:07.29. It was by far, the closest worlds win of Ledecky’s seven on the 800 free.

A dissatisfied McIntosh mentioned she didn’t swim in addition to she needed to, however will flip the web page and focus on her subsequent race within the 400 particular person medley.

“So it’s just the beginning and I know I have lots of time in my career to do better at it,” she told the CBC.

McIntosh vowed to make use of Saturday’s disappointment as gas for future 800-meter efforts.

“I really wanted to swim my own race and I didn’t do that,” mentioned McIntosh, who congratulated Ledecky and referred to as her an “inspiration of mine.”

“I think what I did tonight actually makes me want to keep doing it more, to see how much better I can get at it because I know I can be way faster than I was tonight.”

The suburban Washington D.C. native Ledecky mentioned she’s now trying ahead to a while off, time with family members and some dips within the pool she swam in as a teenager.

“I’m looking forward to that,” she mentioned. “It’s home to me but I’m with the people that I love, around the pool.”

The niece of New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky has additionally been dominating the 800 free on the Olympics, having received gold in this race at the 2012 games in London, 2016 in Rio, 2021 in Tokyo and last summer near Paris.

She’s the one lady to win the identical particular person occasion at 4 Olympics, in any sport. The solely different swimmer to drag off such a four-peat was American legend Michael Phelps, who took the 200 particular person medley in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

At age 28, Ledecky was the sphere’s oldest swimmer and he or she outdueled her youngest and most fierce competitor, the 18-year-old Toronto native McIntosh.

Ledecky’s air of 800 invincibility was dented final yr when a 17-year-old McIntosh beat the American on the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 8.

The Canadian prodigy opted in opposition to swimming within the 800 in France to focus on different occasions. She took gold within the 200 butterfly, 200 Individual Medley and 400 Individual Medley to develop into one of many breakout stars of last summer.

If McIntosh takes on the 800 free in Los Angeles, Saturday’s race provided a tantalizing preview of what might be in retailer for 2028.