2019 World Championships: Katie Ledecky Back in the Practice Pool in Gwangju

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

  • All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
  • Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
  • The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
  • Meet site
  • FinaTV Live Stream
  • Live results

After scratching out of heats of the 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday morning on medical grounds and then withdrawing from the final of the women’s 1500-meter freestyle on Tuesday night, Katie Ledecky may be back. Sources tell SwimSwam she is in the water at the training pool in Gwangju and swimming.

Ledecky was entered in the 200-400-800-1500 freestyle events at the 2019 FINA World Championships. USA Swimming announced the five-time Olympic champion had not been feeling well since her arrival, while head coach Greg Meehan told The New York Times that they were hoping to get her back in the meet “at some point.”

Ledecky won a silver medal in the 400 freestyle on Sunday, the first night of competition in Gwangju. It was her first loss in a distance freestyle event at an international meet, and while she had an uncharacteristically lethargic finish, Ledecky never mentioned not feeling well in the post-race press conference. She also swam in heats of the 1500 freestyle and posted the top qualifying time, before scratching the final.

Ledecky is the three-time defending World Champion in the 800 free, the only remaining individual event on her slate for Gwangju. Heat of that event are Friday morning. There has still been no official word on whether we’ll see her race again in Gwangju.

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hi:)
4 years ago

Any idea if she is swimming in the 4×200 relay tonight?

Cayley
4 years ago

Get well soon, Katie.

Sun Yang's Mom
4 years ago

800 RELAY DREAMS ARE ALIVE

Sun Yang's Mom
Reply to  Sun Yang's Mom
4 years ago

Maybe finally see Regan Smith in the water?

Swimfan
Reply to  Sun Yang's Mom
4 years ago

No I doubt it, if they wanted to see regan smith they should have used her in the prelims instead of Schmitt

DresselApologist
4 years ago

Back for an event where she has a chance… hmmmmm

The Approximate speed of Venus
Reply to  DresselApologist
4 years ago

Pretty sure she had a ‘chance’ in the 1500 as well

DresselApologist
Reply to  The Approximate speed of Venus
4 years ago

Remember when she ducked Comerford in the 200 free at NCAAs and proceeded to get annihilated by Eastin? I remember.

mediocre-ly
Reply to  DresselApologist
4 years ago

she did that to earn more points dude

DresselApologist
Reply to  mediocre-ly
4 years ago

Smh

JudgeNot
Reply to  DresselApologist
4 years ago

She has/had a chance in every race from 200 m to 1500 m. I mean, she’s pretty good in every one of those races I’ve heard.

I don’t understand why people need to make comments like this? You’ve tried to swim an event or an important meet while not feeling well, I assume? It’s tough sledding, and sometimes it doesn’t go very well.

Usrpt.io
Reply to  JudgeNot
4 years ago

Even 200 breast?

JudgeNot
Reply to  Usrpt.io
4 years ago

Lol. No, definitely not that. Freestyle my person.

Pkwater
4 years ago

It’s sorta nuts something like this never happened to Phelps in his career

Heyitsme
Reply to  Pkwater
4 years ago

Tru

USA
Reply to  Pkwater
4 years ago

Well yes, but that didn’t cause him to miss 2 races

Jack
Reply to  Pkwater
4 years ago

He was suspended for 2015 Worlds, broke his hand in the lead up to Beijing, and struggled through 2010 and 2011with pretty serious depression issues. I mean, he was never sidelined with this specific issue, but if this is the biggest bump in Ledecky’s career, she’ll have made it out a lot smoother than Michael did.

anonymous
Reply to  Jack
4 years ago

He also had a back injury that forced him out of the Short Course World Championships early.

0202oykot
Reply to  Pkwater
4 years ago

i honestly agreed at first thought, then remembered he actually had quite a lot of BS throughout his career..and got lucky at big competitions..but Ledecky has now gotten unlucky at one competition, and has never really dealt with any BS outside the pool..except for a bunch of internet haters bashing her consistently world leading times lol

Taa
4 years ago

I think she is good for a 155 if she can give it a go

Heyitsme
4 years ago

Bout time

Heyitsme
Reply to  Heyitsme
4 years ago

Oops did I say that

Swimfan
Reply to  Heyitsme
4 years ago

Please i hope for the 800 free relay final!! Leah smith l, margalis, mclaughlin and ledecky should be enough to defend there world title

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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