By: Eric Wang
Katie Ledecky, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, won another 400 gold medal at the FINA World Championships. This marks her 16th gold medal at world championships, five more than any other female swimmer.
At 3 minutes and 58.15 seconds, this was Ledecky’s fourth-fastest 400 in her career. While it was slower than Ariarne Titmus’s 3:56.40, Ledecky says she was happy with her improvement of over a second in a year where she didn’t set any specific time goals. After the race, Ledecky said, “I wanted to push to the point of pain tonight… It’s the fastest I’ve ever been at worlds, so I’m really happy with that and really excited about the rest of the [meet]. I’m just always trying to improve…”
Rather interestingly, Ledecky’s biggest rival, Ariarne Titmus, was not present at the world championships. Instead of racing at the world championships, she will attend the Commonwealth Games, a sporting gathering of former British colonies such as Australia. Dean Boxall, Titmus’ coach, says that they are aware that the public is raring for more Titmus vs Ledecky showdowns. However, Titmus knows the ultimate goal is the Olympics. As her coach says, “She [Titmus] knows what she needs to do. She knows it’s all about the Olympics.”
On the other hand, Ledecky encountered a new challenger at the world championships. Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh came in a close second with a time of 3:59.39. This makes her the fourth ever female swimmer to finish a 400 in under 4 minutes. She could potentially be a third contender for the best female swimmer in the world.
All in all, Ledecky adds another gold to her amazing collection, and in the words of the Washington Post, “… with a rival absent and a new one present.”
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