Bethesda’s Katie Ledecky Extends 1,500 Free Undefeated Streak With World Championship Gold

Katie Ledecky of Maryland keeps changing the record books.

Ledecky, Katie

The Bethesda native won another gold medal in her hallmark event at the swimming world championships in Singapore, adding some new hardware to her trophy case.

In the 1,500-meter freestyle final on Tuesday, Ledecky, 28, easily beat the field and was on track to break her own world record with a time of 15:26.44, the fifth-best time in the event’s history.

Her most recent victory continues her unbeaten streak in the 1,500, having previously lost a race when she was a teenager. It also marks her 22nd world title, second only behind Olympic hero Michael Phelps’ 33.

Ledecky stated that she is “taking it one race at a time… one stroke at a time… and one year at a time” and that she has no plans to leave the pool anytime soon, even though she is still pursuing Phelps.

Even though she still rules the sport, she gave appreciation to her coaches and teammates for encouraging her and making swimming enjoyable for her.

Ledecky managed to surpass Simona Quadarella of Italy, who finished in second place with a time of 15:31.79, and Lani Pallister of Australia completed the podium with a time of 15:41.18.

In addition to her main event, Ledecky participated in the 400-meter freestyle this week and won a bronze medal. Later this week, she will race against rival Canadian Summer McIntosh in the 800-meter freestyle.

In an interview with Peacock, Ledecky stated, “Every race has meaning, and I love every race that I’ve had.” Yes, the 1,500 is very important to me, and I had no intention of giving it up tonight.