Ledecky wins historic fourth Olympic Gold in women’s 1500m freestyle

Katie Ledecky has made history by becoming the first female swimmer to win gold medals at four different Olympics, retaining her title in the women’s 1500m freestyle on Wednesday night.

The American did so, by breaking the Olympic record.

The 27-year-old, hailed as the greatest female distance swimmer ever, clocked an Olympic record time of 15:30.02 in front of an enthusiastic crowd in the Paris suburbs.

No other swimmer was even in the frame when Katie Ledecky finished 😳

Absolute DOMINANCE as she breaks the women’s 1500m freestyle Olympic record 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YcoQS2AlzB

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France’s Anastasiya Kirpichnikova secured the silver medal with a time of 15:40.35, while Germany’s Isabel Gose took bronze, finishing in 15:41.16. Simona Quadarella of Italy, the only other swimmer to break 16 minutes, finished just behind with a time of 15:44.05 after a hard-fought battle for third place.

Reflecting on her performance, Ledecky said, “I did have fun. I felt really good. I just tried to hold steady the whole time. Hold my stroke, hold my time, each 50 [meters] and to swim a time that I could feel really happy with. I’m really proud of that swim.”