Last Saturday, June 18, Katie Ledecky won yet another 400-meter freestyle event at the
World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She completed the race in a total time of 3:58:15,
setting a new world championship record.
In second place, with a time of 3:59.39, 15-year-old rising Canadian star Summer McIntosh
was a strong competitor to Ledecky. In an interview after the race, Ledecky mentioned that she felt more nervous and forced while swimming. “I was a little nervous. [McIntosh] hung in there the whole time, so she definitely pushed me a lot,” Ledecky said. With this drive, McIntosh could be a potential contender for the 2024 Olympics in France.
This is Ledecky’s fourth time winning gold for the 400-meter in the world championships. She
previously had won in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
However, her biggest rival, Ariarne Titmus, was noticeably absent from the race. Titmus had
recently bested Ledecky in the Tokyo Olympics. She also set a new world record last month, beating Ledecky’s record by a narrow 0.06 seconds.
Many speculate on what would have happened if Titmus had joined the race. Titmus may
have defeated Ledecky in a similar fashion to what occurred at the Olympics, or Ledecky might have tried harder and held on.
Many asked Ledecky if she was motivated to work harder after her world record was beaten.
She replied, “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, it must motivate you more.’ But I’m always motivated. I’m always excited to see what I can do. … If I didn’t have motivation before, that would’ve been a problem.”
In third place, Ledecky’s teammate Leah Smith won bronze with a time of 4:02.08. It was
also a very strong opening for Team USA, which won six medals on an opening day.
Links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/06/18/katie-ledecky-400-free/
https://www.teamusa.org/News/2022/June/18/Katie-Ledecky-Opens-Worlds-With-AnotherWin-In-The-400-Free
World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She completed the race in a total time of 3:58:15,
setting a new world championship record.
In second place, with a time of 3:59.39, 15-year-old rising Canadian star Summer McIntosh
was a strong competitor to Ledecky. In an interview after the race, Ledecky mentioned that she felt more nervous and forced while swimming. “I was a little nervous. [McIntosh] hung in there the whole time, so she definitely pushed me a lot,” Ledecky said. With this drive, McIntosh could be a potential contender for the 2024 Olympics in France.
This is Ledecky’s fourth time winning gold for the 400-meter in the world championships. She
previously had won in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
However, her biggest rival, Ariarne Titmus, was noticeably absent from the race. Titmus had
recently bested Ledecky in the Tokyo Olympics. She also set a new world record last month, beating Ledecky’s record by a narrow 0.06 seconds.
Many speculate on what would have happened if Titmus had joined the race. Titmus may
have defeated Ledecky in a similar fashion to what occurred at the Olympics, or Ledecky might have tried harder and held on.
Many asked Ledecky if she was motivated to work harder after her world record was beaten.
She replied, “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, it must motivate you more.’ But I’m always motivated. I’m always excited to see what I can do. … If I didn’t have motivation before, that would’ve been a problem.”
In third place, Ledecky’s teammate Leah Smith won bronze with a time of 4:02.08. It was
also a very strong opening for Team USA, which won six medals on an opening day.
Links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/06/18/katie-ledecky-400-free/
https://www.teamusa.org/News/2022/June/18/Katie-Ledecky-Opens-Worlds-With-AnotherWin-In-The-400-Free
