2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
- Budapest, Hungary
- Duna Arena
- LCM (50-meter format)
- Full Aquatics Schedule
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- Psych Sheets
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- Day 7 Finals Heat Sheets
After a decade of dominance in the 800 free, Katie Ledecky shows no signs of slowing down. She obliterated the field in this event at the 2022 World Championships, putting up a time of 8:08.04 to win by 10.73 seconds. With this victory, she becomes the first swimmer to ever win five straight world titles in the same event. In addition, she also continues her 800 free win streak for the tenth straight year, having not lost the event at a major international meet since 2012 (not counting 2020, where there wasn’t a major international meet).
The other two athletes to have won five world titles in the same event are Katinka Hosszu in the 400 IM and Michael Phelps in the 200 fly, although neither of them completed the feat at five consecutive championships.
This win also marks the third time that Ledecky has completed the 400/800/1500 free triple at a World Championships meet. The other athletes who have pulled off this feat, Grant Hackett, Sun Yang, and Hannah Stockbauer, have only done it once.
With eight combined Olympic and world titles in the 800 free, Ledecky ties Phelps as the swimmer with the most Olympic and world titles in one event, with Phelps having eight in the 200 fly.
Winners Of The Women’s 800 Free Since 2012 (Olympics, World Championships, Pan Pacs):
- 2012 Olympic Games: Katie Ledecky – 8:14.63
- 2013 World Championships: Katie Ledecky – 8:13.86 (former world record)
- 2014 Pan Pacs: Katie Ledecky – 8:11.35
- 2015 World Championships: Katie Ledecky – 8:07.39 (former world record)
- 2016 Olympic Games: Katie Ledecky – 8:04.79 (world record)
- 2017 World Championships: Katie Ledecky – 8:12.68
- 2018 Pan Pacs: Katie Ledecky – 8:09.13
- 2019 World Championships: Katie Ledecky – 8:13.58
- 2020 Olympic Games: Katie Ledecky – 8:12.57
- 2022 World Championships: Katie Ledecky – 8:08.04
Ledecky’s time of 8:08.27 is also the fifth-fastest performance in the history of the 800 free, just trailing behind four of her other performances. In addition, it is also the fastest she has been since 2018, when she went 8:07.27 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis. Her final 50 time of 28.88 in her race today is the third-fastest she’s been on the last lap, having closed in 28.41 at the 2015 World Championships and 28.84 at the 2016 Arena Pro Swim Series.
In both the women’s 1500 free and 800 free, Ledecky was significantly faster than she was at the Tokyo Olympic games last year. In the 1500 earlier this week, she won in a time of 15:30.15, over seven seconds faster than her Olympic winning time of 15:37.34.
The 25-year-old American now holds 27 of the fastest times ever in the event, not counting the opening 800s of her 1500 free performances.
Top 28 Performances In The Women’s 800 Free:
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:04.79 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:06.68 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:07.27 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:07.39 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:08.04 (2022)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:09.13 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:09.27 (2022)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:10.32 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:10.70 (2019)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:10.91 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.00 (2014)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.08 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.21 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.35 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.50 (2017)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.70 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.83 (2022)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:11.98 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:12.57 (2021)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:12.68 (2017)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:12.81 (2021)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:12.86 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:13.02 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:12.20 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:13.25 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:13.58 (2019)
- Katie Ledecky, USA – 8:13.64 (2021)
- Ariarne Titmus, AUS – 8:13.83 (2021)
Ledecky’s victory in the 800 free was her 19th World Championships gold medal. She surpasses Ryan Lochte as the swimmer with the second-most World titles, and only trails Phelps, who has 26. On Wednesday, she passed Natalie Coughlin to become the most decorated woman in World Championship history in terms of overall medals.
2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships
Katie Ledecky
All-Time Performances
W 400 FR – 7th
W 800 FR – 5th
W 1500 FR – 6th
This was mentioned years ago, guess which record Katie Ledecky wants the most?
No waterslap at end, she thought she would be faster and likiely will be in her favorite race. Tho I wouldn’t discount the 400 yet, she wanted to win but wasn’t going for the record. So much for those who have said her best swim at this stage of her career is the first race of the meet.
Nope!
Karie Ledecky wants the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay world record.
Who are these aliens downvoting Katie Ledecky compliments
Aussies
Sour grapes galore!
This should stoke the flames:
https://youtu.be/pIdBCnxRsHQ?t=4
For ol’ times sake:
https://youtu.be/4QLRLeOeq3w?t=17
Thanks for sharing the last 50s split times from today and prior years. She’s fire.
Amazing performance from Katie, definitely the 🐐❤🐐
That was an incredible performance, and if she continues with this type of trajectory, she could break the WR come Paris. 8:08 isn’t far off of 8:04 at all!
I’ll take another Top 10 All-Time Performance and another gold medal.
Two years older and you’re asking her to average more than two tenths faster per every length of the pool among 16. Not likely. If you follow each length while watching the clock it becomes very obvious how difficult it is to consistently make up that kind of time. I think if she’s going lower than this it needs to be while attacking the race during a pro series meet or similar, when she’s absolutely fresh, and not toward the end of a long meet while also racing an 800 heat.
She could also try to kick and sprint all out the final 150 or 200 instead of final 100 alone.
Regardless, she’s had two remarkable performances this year.… Read more »
I don’t think it’s that women’s distance is “bad” or not competitive, it’s just that Ledecky is so good to the point where she makes other swimmers look slow when they actually aren’t by overall standards. Think about it. If she didn’t exist, the narrative in women’s distance swimming in 2019-2021 would be about a battle between Titmus, Quaderella, Wang Jianjiahe, etc who have all been in 8:14-8:15 range, and are fighting to break the old Adlington world record (which Titmus ended up getting under in Tokyo).
We see women’s distance swimming without Ledecky in the equation the same way we see men’s distance swimming right now, where there’s three to four guys fighting it out for gold but all… Read more »
Here! Here!
As a footnote, let’s hope Katie Grimes doesn’t lay another egg at the 2023 International Team Trials in the women’s 800 meter freestyle.
USA needs Katie squared in the women’s 800 meter freestyle for calendar year 2023.
The USAswimming decided to extend their list of best performances at W800FR from standard 25 entries to 28 to show probably where the best “not Ledecky” result is.
Despite her remarkable first race (8:14.63, “… somebody who become very famous very suddenly “ ) will soon approach the #50 ranking in best performances list it is still my most watched race of her. And I thankful to her that 10(!) years later we are still in great anticipation of something spectacular whenever she jumps in the water at start signal.
Scroll down to your heart’s content:
https://www.fina.org/swimming/rankings?gender=F&distance=800&stroke=FREESTYLE&poolConfiguration=LCM&year=all&startDate=&endDate=×Mode=ALL_TIMES®ionId=all&countryId=
Note: Duplicate entry with the time posted 8:11.70
P.S. For some reason FINA has not ratified the performance (8:11.83) dated 2/10/2022 at the 2022 FL SZ South Sectionals Championships.
Katie is a freak in the nicest possible sense!!!! She earns respect!!!!
Tell that to to your brethren.