2022 FINA WORLD CUP – TORONTO
- Friday, October 28 – Sunday, October 30, 2022
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC), Toronto, Canada
- SCM (25 meters)
- Start Times
- Prelims: 9:30 am local (ET)
- Finals: 6:00 pm local (ET)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results (Omega)
- Live Stream (FINA YouTube)
- Day 2 Finals Live Recap
In her first-ever short course 1500 meter freestyle, American Katie Ledecky shattered the World Record.
Ledecky’s winning time of 15:08.24 broke the old record of 15:18.01 that was set by German Sarah (Kohler) Wellbrock in 2019.
The World Record by Ledecky earns her a $10,000 bonus from FINA.
Ledecky was already the World Record holder in long course at 15:20. Given that most swimmers are 2-3% faster in the short course 1500 than the long course (Wellbrock, for example, is 24 seconds better), that Ledecky was able to break this record by so much is not a surprise, though none-the-less stunning.
Unlike the 400 free World Record that we saw go down earlier this week in China, the 1500 is something that a lot of very good distance swimmers have swum very seriously in short course. Besides Wellbrock, the all-time top performers list includes names like Mireia Belmonte, Lotte Friis, and Simona Quadarella.
But none of those swimmers are Ledecky, who in the 1500, more than any other race, is heads-and-shoulders ahead of anybody else in the history of the sport.
The record-watch was on early. By 600 meters, 40% of the way into the race, she was already 5 seconds under the World Record.
Ledecky’s 800 meter split of 8:00.58 came very close to breaking Mireia Belmonte’s World Record of 7:59.34 in that event, and crushed the American Record of 8:07.67 set by Leah Smith in 2016.
Splits Comparison:
| Wellbrock | Ledecky | Leah Smith | ||
| Cumulative Pace Under WR | Former World Record Holder | New World Record | Former 800 AR | |
| 100m | -0.85 | 59.28 | 58.43 | 58.1 |
| 200m | -1.03 | 60.74 | 60.56 | 60.95 |
| 300m | -1.51 | 61.21 | 60.73 | 61.3 |
| 400m | -2.34 | 61.33 | 60.5 | 61.89 |
| 500m | -3.78 | 61.41 | 59.97 | 61.8 |
| 600m | -5 | 61.25 | 60.03 | 62.03 |
| 700m | -6.4 | 61.51 | 60.11 | 61.88 |
| 800m | -7.81 | 61.66 | 60.25 | 59.72 |
| 900m | -8.75 | 61.36 | 60.42 | – |
| 1000m | -9.54 | 61.57 | 60.78 | – |
| 1100m | -9.77 | 61.62 | 61.39 | – |
| 1200m | -9.81 | 61.69 | 61.65 | – |
| 1300m | -9.46 | 61.63 | 61.98 | – |
| 1400m | -9.48 | 61.57 | 61.55 | – |
| 1500m | -9.77 | 60.18 | 59.89 | – |
Notable things about this record-breaking swim:
- This is Ledecky’s first World Record since 2018 when she set the long course record in the 1500 free at another in-season meet.
- Ledecky’s swim also breaks the American Record, previously a 15:32.90 by Kate Ziegler in 2007
- Ledecky’s swim also breaks the World Cup record that was set in 1989 by Belgian Christelle Janssens in Paris, France. The event has been absent from the World Cup circuit for a while; this year, it will be alternated with the 800 free at the various meets.
Rowdy Gaines is salivating right now
Oh dear…you are probably right. I really liked Brittany as commentator.
As for next week, how about some deja vu?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4QLRLeOeq3w
It’s Ledecky, the world record line, then Boyle.
Her ncaa results say otherswise
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Ledeckey would do something like this as soon as she swan a 1500 SCM but nothing in sport is a foregone conclusion and this is a very impressive swim.
Since name of Sarah Wellbrock was brought to the discussion then there is an interesting point:
Personal best at 1500m
LCM – 15:42; 27yo
SCM – 15:18; 25 yo
Diff – 24sec
Ledecky competed at 1500SCM for the first time in her career. Nothing to compare with. But if the Sarah Wellbrock’s example shows how results differ in short and long pool at highest level of competition then should’ve we expected from Ledecky sub 15min result?
Should we look at her yesterday result as 15:30 low LCM performance?
Did you take into account that Katie Ledecky may have not tapered for 2022 FINA World Cup?
Difficult to remember that she is still only 25!
– years of age (-Rowdy)
To think, the competition has evaporated in the women’s 800 meter freestyle and women’s 1500 meter freestyle:
Adlington
Belmonte
Boyle
Carlin
Friis
Kohler
Splits:
In her record setting race Katie Ledecky had no advantage over Sarah Koehler at last 400m. We saw the similar picture in Tokyo and practically at all her races at all distances last years. Very strong first part of the race and not that strong finish. And it isn’t like Ledecky’s general style of racing. When training under Bruce Gemmell the racing approach was quite an opposite. Moreover the coach required her to follow strictly the race plan for the first two thirds of the distance and only then to do whatever she feels like depending on circumstances of the race. At her record setting races then the final stage of the races were the most remarkable. The… Read more »
Gibberish!
*eyeroll*
Easier said than done
I knew it