FUKUOKA, Japon: Katie Ledecky is one of the best freestyle swimmers in history because she is always looking to improve.
The American swimmer, who is 26 years old, won the 800-meter freestyle at the world championships on Saturday. He is the first swimmer to win six gold medals in the same world event. It was also her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most golds in the world.
She has also won seven gold medals at the Olympics and holds the world record in 800 and the 1,500.
But that winning time of 8 minutes and 8.87 seconds, which was the seventh-fastest she’d ever swum, wasn’t quite good enough in her favourite event.
“I’m just always thinking of ways to get better. I mean, everything is already going through my mind right now. “I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight,” she said, moving her right hand to her right ear to think of something.
She said, “I’m pretty hard on myself.” “But I think I’ve found a way to be hard on myself while still having grace.”
Ledecky won her second individual gold in the 800. On Tuesday, she won the 1,500 free. In the 400 free, she also got silver. Li Bingjie of China came in second with a time of 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia came in third with a time of 8:13.59.
“It’s fun to end a meet with your favourite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool,” Ledecky said.
It was only the United States’ fourth gold medal in eight days in the pool. Meanwhile, Australia has won 13 gold medals, tied for the most in the world. On Saturday, Australia won three more gold medals.
The Americans have 31 medals, 16 of which are silver. Australia is second with 20 medals, and China is third with 13.
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown made history when she won gold in the women’s 200-meter freestyle. McKeown’s win made it so that she won all three backstroke races. She had already won the 50 and 100 backstroke races. She was the first swimmer in the world to win all three backstroke events.
All of this made up for her being kicked out of the 200 IM earlier.
“You can’t change the rules,” she told him. “I was turned down. I couldn’t do much more than that with the hand I was given. So I had to act as best I could focus all my anger, and turn a big negative into a positive.
Regan Smith of the U.S. came in second with a time of 2:04.94, and Peng Xuwei of China came in third with a time of 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden won gold in the 50 butterfly to show she is still the best. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 seconds, the fifth time she has won this event at the Worlds. With this win, Sjostrom tied Phelps’ record of 20 individual medals at the Worlds.
In the 50-meter freestyle, Sjostrom beat her record by going 23.61 seconds in a playoff heat. Her old score, from 2017, was 23.67.
“There are not too many secrets,” Sjostrom said about her long life. “Just do your work every day, go to practice, and stay humble.”
Zhang Yufei of China won gold in the 100 fly with a time of 25.05. Gretchen Walsh of the United States got the bronze with a time of 25.46.
In the 50 Flies, fan favorite Rikako Ikee came in seventh with a time of 25.78, but the Japanese crowd cheered her on.
Ikee, 23 years old, won six gold medals at the Asian Games in 2018 and was expected to do well at the Tokyo Olympics. But in February 2019, she was told she had leukaemia. Both the people of Japan and her other rivals are still talking about her recovery.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia won the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.06. It was his first individual gold medal at either the World Championships or the Olympics.
In 21.57, American Jack Alexy won his second silver medal of the world to go with the one he won in the 100-meter freestyle. Benjamin Proud of Britain, who won the world championship last year, came in third with a time of 21.58.
Caeleb Dressel won the Olympic event but didn’t make the U.S. team. Dressel won in Tokyo with a time of 21.07, but McEvoy was faster.
In the 100 fly, France’s Maxime Grousset won gold in 50.14 seconds. The 24-year-old got out in front early and kept it. Josh Liendo of Canada came in second with a time of 50.34, and Dare Rose of the United States came in third with a time of 50.46.
In the 50 breaststroke quarterfinal, Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte tied the world record of 29.30 seconds.
Australia set a world record by winning the 4×100 mixed freestyle relay in 3:18.83. The Americans came in second with a time of 3:20.82, and Britain came in third with a time of 3:21.68. The relay is not an event in the Olympics.
