American swimming sensation Katie Ledecky clinched her first gold medal of the Paris Games on Wednesday in the women’s 1500-meter freestyle, an event she has made her own. Ledecky set an Olympic record with a time of 15:30.02, further cementing her dominance in this long-distance race, which she has not lost in over 14 years. She currently holds the 20 fastest times ever recorded in this event.
In what has almost become a race for second place, France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova secured the silver medal with a time of 15:40.35, and Germany’s Isabel Gose took bronze in 15:41.16. Ledecky’s victory brought her Olympic gold medal count to eight, tying her with Jenny Thompson for the most golds won by an American woman in swimming.
Ledecky is widely regarded as one of the greatest swimmers in history and is building a strong case for being the greatest female Olympian of all time. She now stands just one gold medal away from tying Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record of nine gold medals, the most by any female Olympian.
At 27, Ledecky has accumulated 12 Olympic medals across four Games. She has more opportunities to expand this tally later in the week, as she is a favorite in the women’s 800-meter freestyle and will also compete in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
The women’s 1500-meter freestyle was only added to the Olympic program in the previous Games, making Paris the second occasion this event has been contested at the Olympics. Ledecky was a vocal advocate for including this race, which has been part of world championship meets for years. It is fitting that she remains the only woman to have won Olympic gold in the event so far, symbolizing her dominance and dedication to long-distance swimming.
Looking ahead, Ledecky has confirmed her intention to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. She expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of performing in front of a home crowd, inspired by the support French athletes received in Paris.
She recently earned a bronze medal in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, an achievement that moved her to discuss how much this training group has meant to her development as both an athlete and a person.
On Wednesday, there were no tears of emotion, only smiles and the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as Ledecky stood atop the podium once more. Her commanding performance in the 1500-meter freestyle reaffirmed her status as a dominant force in swimming, with more victories likely on the horizon.
