Ledecky Torpedoes Past 800m WR at Rio Olympics

Ledecky Torpedoes Past 800m WR at Rio Olympics

USA's Katie Ledecky eviscerated the competition to win gold in the women's 800 meters freestyle and set a new world record of 8:04.79 at Rio 2016.

Kathleen Genevieve "Katie" Ledecky (/ləˈdɛki/ born March 17, 1997) is an American swimmer. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, and nine-time world champion. She is the current world-record holder in the 400-, 800-, and 1,500-meter freestyle (long course). She also holds the fastest times in the 500-, 800-, 1000-, and 1,650-yard freestyle events.

In her international debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics as a 15-year-old, the American unexpectedly won gold in the 800-meter freestyle in the second fastest performance ever. In total, she has won 20 medals, 19 golds and one silver, in major international competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships. During her career, she has broken thirteen world records.

Ledecky's success has earned her Swimming World's World Swimmer of the Year and the American Swimmer of the Year awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015, as well as the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2013. Ledecky was also named the international female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe in 2014. Ledecky's seven individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships is a record in women's swimming. In 2016, Ledecky was the youngest person on Time magazine's Time 100 list.