American swimmer Katie Ledecky secured her seventh world title in the women's 800-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships on Saturday. This victory further solidified her long-standing dominance in the event.
Ledecky, at 28 years old, broke her own championship record with a time of 8 minutes and 5.62 seconds. She successfully fended off strong competition from Australia's Lani Pallister and Canada's Summer McIntosh in a highly anticipated race. Ledecky expressed her satisfaction with the performance, highlighting the impressive speed of the top three finishers.
Ledecky's history in the 800m freestyle is remarkable. She first won the world title in 2013 and has consistently claimed gold in every subsequent edition, with the exception of Doha 2024, which she skipped to focus on Olympic preparation.
Adding to her achievements, Ledecky also won the 1,500m freestyle earlier in the week. This brings her total to an impressive 23 World Championship gold medals, along with her nine Olympic golds, the most by any female swimmer. She also holds the world record in the 800m, set earlier this year. Ledecky shared her enjoyment of competing against the best swimmers and her pride in being part of the event.
The race also featured strong performances from other competitors. While much attention was given to a potential battle between Ledecky and McIntosh, Pallister nearly caused an upset. Pallister achieved a personal best time, breaking the Oceania record and finishing just behind Ledecky to take silver.
McIntosh, already a three-time gold medalist in the championships, secured the bronze medal. She reflected on her race, acknowledging the challenge of competing against Ledecky and the lessons learned.
Other notable performances included Simona Quadarella of Italy, who finished fourth and set a new European record, and Li Bingjie of China, who placed fifth.
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