Katie Ledecky won a record-tying ninth career gold medal Saturday at the Paris Olympics, claiming an unprecedented fourth women’s 800-meter freestyle title.
The American great touched the wall in 8:11.04 at La Defense Arena, 1.25 seconds ahead of Australian silver medalist Ariarne Titmus. Paige Madden won bronze for the USA.
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“I knew it was going to be a tough race,” said Katie. “I felt confident but I knew it was going to be tough no matter what all the way to the finish. I have good early speed, and I can come home tough, and I can trust my endurance.”
“I knew I just required to stay quiet through that and really just try to inch my way forward each lap, and I think I did a pretty good job of that.”
Katie Ledecky’s 9th gold from four Games gives her a share of the all-time record for female Olympians with former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.
Ledecky also joined fellow American great Michael Phelps as the only swimmer to win 4 Olympic golds in the same event.
“The week was kind of, you know, had its ups and downs like any other meet,” Ledecky said. “I knew I just had to concentrate on the races, not focus on times, just focus on getting the job done, getting to hear the national anthem at the end of the races as many times as I could.”
Ledecky also won gold earlier this week in the 1,500-meter freestyle. She won her first gold medal in London in 2012, then added 4 at Rio and two more in Tokyo.
Caeleb Dressel won his ninth career Olympic gold medal from the sidelines as the United States romped to victory in the mixed 4×100-meter medley relay in world-record time.
China took the silver and Australia the bronze. France, with Leon Marchand swimming the second leg, finished 4th — the 4-gold hero’s first defeat in a final at the La Defense Arena.
The winning time of 3 minutes 37.43 seconds smashed the record of 3:37.58 set by previous champion Britain at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Ryan Murphy swam the opening leg for the USA with Nic Fink and Gretchen Walsh following before Torri Huske confirmed the gold.
Americans Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, Dressel, and Abbey Weitzeil all swam in the preliminary on Friday to secure a place in the final and were also rewarded for their efforts.
Dressel has only ever won gold medals from his 3 Games, adding 2 in Paris to the 5 he won in Tokyo and a pair in Rio de Janeiro.
The presence of Marchand, the Paris poster boy whose heroics have brought a memorable atmosphere to the converted rugby stadium, raised the roof again. But even the 22-year-old could not work the kind of magic that was needed.
Canada’s Summer McIntosh set a 200-meter individual medley Olympic record as she won her third gold of the Paris Games and completed a double in the four-stroke event.
The 17-year-old touched out in 2 minutes 06.56 seconds to take down the 2016 record of 2:06.58 set by Hungarian Katinka Hosszu at Rio 2016.
Kate Douglass of the USA won the silver and Australian Kaylee McKeown was awarded the bronze after Alex Walsh, the silver medalist in 2021, was disqualified for an illegal turn at the end of the backstroke leg.
Walsh was visibly sad and did not stop to speak with reporters after leaving the pool deck.
McIntosh won the 400 IM last Monday and also won gold in the 200 butterfly on Thursday. With a silver in the 400 freestyle on the opening Saturday, she now has 4 medals from Paris.
Hungarian powerhouse Kristof Milak stormed to a second Olympic gold with victory in a thrilling men’s 100-meter butterfly final, while adding to the silver medal he won earlier in the 200-meter event.
Three years after claiming the 200 gold at Tokyo, the 24-year-old secured the shorter of the two Olympic butterfly titles by touching the wall in 49.90, 0.09 seconds ahead of Canadian runner-up Josh Liendo.
Ilya Kharun grabbed a second bronze for Canada, having also taken one in the 200-meter butterfly in Paris.
Now boasting four Olympic medals, Milak gave Hungary a second gold in the Paris meet following Hubert Kos’ 200-meter backstroke title.
