Photos: Katie Ledecky Wins Gold in 1,500-Meter Freestyle, Lapping Competition Again

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Photos: Katie Ledecky Wins Gold in 1,500-Meter Freestyle, Lapping Competition Again

Katie Ledecky races the 1,500-meter freestyle as if she’s being chased by a frenzy of sharks, an armada of ****-toting pirates and a squadron of flesh-eating zombies, all at once. When she touches the wall at the end of her 30th and final lap, she often has, if not an indefinite amount of time, then an embarrassingly copious quantity of it, able to do as she pleases before the next swimmer finishes.

On Wednesday, when Ledecky won gold in Paris, predictably so, Ledecky could have sent off a few text messages or recited the first half of “The Road Not Taken” or completed the Wordle. Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, representing France after swimming for the Russian team in Tokyo, placed second, a full 10.33 seconds behind Ledecky, who has not lost in the 1,500 in 14 years — at a regional meet in Maryland. Isabel Gose of Germany edged Simona Quadarella of Italy for bronze.

Ledecky, 27, has reigned in the event, then, for more than half her life. In winning her first gold in Paris and her 12th Olympic medal overall — tied for the most by an ********* female swimmer with Jenny Thompson — she reaffirmed her credentials in one of sports’ more exclusive clubs: Were the swimmers with the 20 fastest times in the 1,500 to all gather at the pool, Ledecky would be racing alone, which, to be fair, is what it looks like on television.

Over a distance as long as 1,500 meters — nearly a mile — Ledecky’s lead widens slowly, at first, then apace, her loping strokes earning compound interest. Through 300 meters on Wednesday, she led by three seconds. Through 800, by more than five seconds. Through 1,400, by more than nine.

She glided over the final 50 meters, toward the race’s inexorable conclusion, and finished at 15 minutes 30.02 seconds, besting her time from the inaugural Olympic women’s 1,500 freestyle three years ago in Tokyo by more than seven seconds. After touching the wall, Ledecky swiveled around, gulped a few breaths and waited for everyone else.

And waited. And waited. And waited. And then she smiled.

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#Photos #Katie #Ledecky #Wins #Gold #1500Meter #Freestyle #Lapping #Competition

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