Ledecky's 12 world records... and more to come

The 800m freestyle heats are on Thursday before Saturday's final when gold will once again be near-certain for the Washington D.C. native. 

Published : Aug 08, 2016 22:20 IST

Katie Ledecky celebrates after winning gold at Rio 2016.
Katie Ledecky celebrates after winning gold at Rio 2016.
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Katie Ledecky celebrates after winning gold at Rio 2016.

Katie Ledecky broke one of her many world records in the 400 metre freestyle on Sunday, adding to the 19-year-old's growing legend. She delivered the United States' first gold of Rio 2016, clocking 3:56.46, eclipsing her previous best by almost two seconds.

It is a habit of hers, with Ledecky having set 12 world records in her stellar career. Here, we take a look at all of her landmark times.


400m FREESTYLE
3:58.86 - USA Championships, Irvine. August 9 2014
3:58.37 - Pan Pacific Championships, Gold Coast. August 23 2014.
3:56.46 - Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro. August 7 2016.

800m FREESTYLE
8:13.86 - World Championships, Barcelona. August 3 2013    
8:11.00 - Woodlands Senior Invitational Meet, Shenandoah, June 22 2014.
8:07.39 - World Championships, Kazan. August 8 2015
8:06.68 - Arena Pro Swim Series, Austin. January 17 2016.

1500m FREESTYLE
15:36.53 - World Championships, Barcelona. July 30 2013.
15:34.23 - Woodlands Senior Invitational Meet, Shenandoah. June 19 2014
15:28.36 - Pan Pacific Championships, Gold Coast. August 24 2014.
15:27.71 - World Championships, Kazan. August 3 2015.
15:25.48 - World Championships, Kazan. August 4 2015.

So one down, one to go in terms of existing records. Her 1500m landmark is safe - the event is not part of the women's Olympic program. 

The 800m freestyle heats are on Thursday before Saturday's final when gold will once again be near-certain for the Washington D.C. native. 

Before that comes the 200m freestyle, which takes place this week from Monday through Wednesday. 

This event could serve to remind that Ledecky is human after all. Her personal best over four lengths is 1:54.43, slower than rival Sarah Sjostrom (1:54.31) and almost a second and a half off the world-record pace of 1:52.98, set by Italy's Federica Pellegrini in 2009.

After setting her personal best in January this year, Ledecky has swum under one minute 55 seconds just three times in three 200m outings.

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