Katie Ledecky clocked the fastest time of the year in Olympic qualifiers just one hour after winning a different race
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Meredith Cash
Jun 17, 2021, 21:24 IST
Katie Ledecky completed an unprecedented back-to-back slate at US Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday night.Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Katie Ledecky swam the fastest 1500-meter race of 2021 at US Olympic Trials Wednesday night.
She finished first by 11 seconds to qualify for the event at this summer's Tokyo Olympics.
Ledecky hit the impressive mark just one hour after swimming in - and winning - the 200-meter.
The five-time Olympic gold medalist completed an unprecedented back-to-back slate at US Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday night. Ledecky kicked off the evening by competing in - and winning - the 200-meter freestyle final.
Then, with just 60 minutes to recover following the first win of the night, Ledecky stepped to the block for the 1500-meter freestyle final. Even with the added strain of the 200-meter event an hour prior, she clocked the fastest time of the year in the 1500 free and crushed the field by a whopping 11 seconds.
Swimming just one of those races would be exhausting for any athlete. Fortunately for her - and for those who enjoy watching history in the making - Ledecky isn't just any athlete.
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With the back-to-back victories, Ledecky officially secured her spot in both events for this summer's Olympic games. She had already punched her ticket to Tokyo with a win in the 400-meter freestyle on Monday.
Ledecky's program at trials this week mimics the jam-packed schedule she intends to tackle in Tokyo. The 24-year-old aims to compete in four individual events - the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle races - in addition to the 4x200 freestyle relay for Team USA. If all goes as planned, Ledecky will compete for Olympic gold in the 200m free and 1500m free within a two-hour span on Wednesday, July 28.
She's already qualified for four of those five races. Now, she just has the 800-meter freestyle - an event she once described to Insider as "kind of like my baby" - to go before she locks in the entire slate for the Olympics.
Her program is undoubtedly ambitious, but Ledecky has her eye on making history in her third-career Olympic games. If she goes a perfect six-for-six this summer, only iconic American swimmer Michael Phelps - her former teammate - will have ever earned more gold medals in the history of the Olympic games, making Ledecky the winningest woman ever across all sports at the Olympics.
The 800-meter freestyle prelims are scheduled for Friday. Then, on Saturday evening, Ledecky will swim the 800-meter freestyle final for her last race of this year's US Olympic Trials. Fans can tune in on NBC at 9 p.m. ET for coverage.
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