US swimmer Katie Ledecky breaks her own 800m freestyle world record

Swimmer Katie Ledecky broke her own world record in the 800m freestyle, finishing with a final time of 8:04.12 at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale. 

At the age of 28, she swam faster than the time she set at the 2016 Olympics, which was 8:04.79. This is her first long-distance world record since 2018, and she truly proved that she’s one of the best swimmers in distance freestyle events. 

With this, Ledecky said: “I was really pumped after the 1500m earlier this week.”  The athlete started the competition with the second-fastest 1500m, then she also swam her second-best 400m. Ledecky now holds the 10 fastest times ever recorded in the 800m freestyle. 

In a social media post, the athlete shared: “Enjoy the process and things happen 📈 Thankful for this journey, this sport, my team, and all of the support ❤️ Now back to work 😎🏊🏻‍♀️”

Netizens expressed their support by commenting on the post: “Beyond proud!! So dang impressive! Extraordinary athlete with a heart of gold! 💛 so fun rooting you on!”, “Absolutely inspiring as always”, “Congratulations to the GOAT👑👑👏,” and “you are just crazy, as a distance swimmer I ADMIRE YOU SO MUCH 🙏🏻💗”

Ledecky’s athletic performance 

Ledecky first made headlines by winning an Olympic gold in London at just 15 years old. She has only lost the 800m once since February 2024, when Summer McIntosh from Canada defeated her. 

Ledecky has won nine Olympic golds, the most by any woman in swimming. She’s also the second swimmer after Michael Phelps to win the same individual swimming event four times, dominating the 800m freestyle from 2012 to 2024.

With her recent dominant wins, it is clear that Ledecky is still a top contender in long-distance swimming. As the US national championships in Indianapolis and the world championships in Singapore approach, the athlete reminds everyone that she is one swimmer to beat. 

Another swimmer who made history 

The 22-year-old American Gretchen Walsh also made history recently by setting a world record of 55.09 seconds in the 100m butterfly prelims. She broke her own record from last year’s Olympic trials by nine hundredths of a second. 

Furthermore, Walsh also posted an impressive 24.93 in the 50m butterfly, setting an American record and the second-fastest time ever in the event. 

A double relay gold medallist at the Paris Olympics, Walsh is quickly becoming a strong contender in the sprint butterfly, including the 50m fly, which will make its Olympic debut in 2028.