Team USA Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky made history on Saturday when she won the women’s 800-meter freestyle for the fourth straight time, joining legend Michael Phelps to become the only swimmers to win four gold medals in a single event.
Ledecky narrowly defeated Ariarne Titmus with a finishing time of 8:11.04, coming ahead of the Australian by just 1.25 seconds. Team USA’s Paige Madden finished in third with a time of 8:13.00.
In addition to becoming the second swimmer ever to win four gold medals in one event, Ledecky became the first female American to win nine or more Olympic gold medals in their career, according to Sports Illustrated.
Ledecky said Saturday was notable for her because it was the anniversary of the first time she won the 800-meter freestyle in 2012. The anniversary gave her extra motivation to make sure the day would become even more memorable each year going forward.
“Every August 3, the video [of my first Olympic gold] gets posted somewhere, and you kind of reminisce,” she said, per ESPN. “So, when I saw it was August 3, I was like, ‘Oh boy, I’ve got to get the job done.’”
Titmus praised Ledecky after the event and said she grew up watching the Team USA legend compete in the Olympics while she was still in elementary school.
“To think that … I challenged her into her fourth consecutive in the 800 is pretty cool,” Titmus said, per the Associated Press.
“I feel very honored and privileged to be her rival, and I hope I’ve made her a better athlete. She has certainly made me become the athlete I am. I felt so privileged to race alongside her,” Titmus added.
Following her win on Saturday, Ledecky discussed her future in the Olympics. She said that “it’s not easy” to prepare for such intense games but seemed optimistic about her ability to compete again against the best during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I’ll take it year by year, and we’ll see if I can keep giving everything I’ve got for as long as I have left in me,” she explained, per AP.
Team USA had collected 51 total medals, including 11 gold medals, entering the Saturday games, but this number has continued to climb as the Americans pick up even more victories, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The 2024 Paris Olympics medal count currently ranks the USA first for the most overall medals with 67, though the country continues to trail China by just one for the most golds with 18.
