Katie Ledecky showed her powers at 26, winning the women’s 800-meter freestyle to retain her title and pass Michael Phelps with a record 16th individual gold at the world championships.
Ledecky led from beginning to end, touching the wall in 8:08.87, four seconds outside of her 2016 world record, becoming the first swimmer to win a single worlds event six times, consecutively. It was Ledecky’s second gold at these worlds and winning the 1,500 free, giving her 21 worlds gold overall. She also took silver in the 400 freestyle.
However, that winning time, the seventh quickest she’s ever swum, wasn’t quite good enough in her favorite event. Ledecky said, “I’m just always trying to think of new ways to improve. I mean, I’ve already got everything turning in my head right now. I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight. I’m pretty tough on myself, but I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace.”
She went 4.44 seconds faster than silver medalist Li Bingjie of China (8:13.31), with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus (8:13.59) collecting bronze. Ledecky said, “It’s fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool.” Sarah Sjöström cruised to her fifth straight world title in the women’s 50 butterfly before breaking the world record in the 50 freestyle in the semifinals.
The 29-year-old finished the opening event in 24.77 seconds to hold off China’s Zhang Yufei, who was 0.28 seconds behind. Gretchen Walsh of the United States took bronze in 25.46. She said, “That was amazing; I’m very proud of this gold, which is the fifth one. It’s amazing. I feel like I enjoy it more than ever at the moment.”
Sjöström then produced a superb effort of 23.61 seconds in the freestyle to better her own mark of 23.67 seconds, which she had set in the 2017 worlds in Budapest. Another world record fell when the Australian mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team of Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Shayna Jack and Mollie O’Callaghan lowered their world record in the final race of the evening as they finished in 3:18.83. The U.S. took the silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68.
Australia’s Olympic and world champion Kaylee McKeown sealed a first-ever backstroke treble for a woman at the worlds as she roared to the 200 backstroke title after prevailing in the 50 and 100. McKeown, who holds the 200 backstroke world record, finished in 2:03.85 to beat American Regan Smith, who finished more than a second behind in 2:04.94 despite leading early in the race. China’s Peng Xuwei took bronze in 2:06.74.
The Americans lead the table with 31 medals (4 gold, 16 silver, 11 bronze), Australia has 20, including 13 golds, and China has 13.