Olympic great Katie Ledecky scorches to second-fastest 1,500m time in her return to the pool
The American’s time, in her first race since winning the Paris Olympics, is just outside her own world record set in 2018
Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky made a blistering return to the swimming pool on Wednesday, clocking the second-fastest 1,500m freestyle in history in heats at the TYR Pro Series meeting in Florida.
The 28-year-old American star, who has not raced in an elite event since last year’s Paris Olympics, touched the wall in Fort Lauderdale in a time of 15 minutes 24.51 seconds.
That was just outside her own world record of 15:20.48 set in Indianapolis in 2018, and some 39.62 seconds faster than her next-fastest rival, Jillian Cox.
Ledecky now owns the 22 fastest times ever in the 1,500m freestyle, and has not been beaten in the event since she lost a race in Maryland way back in 2010, when she was just 13 years old.
Ledecky, who won her first Olympic title at the 2012 London Games, has already indicated she plans to extend her career to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.