How Katie Ledecky Won Bronze in the 400-meter Freestyle
Barring a shortage of chlorine in Paris, Katie Ledecky is likely to become the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history at some point over the next two weeks, a distinction that has been suffused the last decade with all the suspense of a rom-com.
Ledecky churned ever closer to the zenith on Saturday, finishing third in the 400-meter freestyle, outpaced by Ariarne Titmus, 23, of Australia, below — who stunned her in the event in the Tokyo Games three years ago — and Summer McIntosh of Canada, a 17-year-old already competing in her second Olympics.
By winning bronze, her 11th Olympic medal, Ledecky moved to within one of Jenny Thompson of the United States, with three more events, including her best two — the longest events — still to come.
Ledecky, 27, holds the world record in the 800-meter freestyle, which she has won at the last three Summer Games, as well as in the 1,500 freestyle, a race she has not lost in 14 — as in FOUR-TEEN — years. Since junior high school.
Ledecky once held the world record in the 400 freestyle, too — for almost six years, until 2022. Then it bounded from Titmus to McIntosh and back to Titmus, who on Saturday did not lower her mark. She swam a more than two seconds slower than her scorching record time but still fended off the other seven women in the pool, including the best distance freestyler ever.
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