Katie Ledecky had an absolutely incredible 400m freestyle during the prelims session on day four, breaking the US Open and US National records while coming extremely close to the American and world records.
This comes just days after she set a JR world record in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:55.16 and boasted an 8:18.47 to win the 800m freestyle.
Coming into the meet, there were murmurs about the possibility of Ledecky breaking the 800m freestyle world record, and as it seems, she’s been dominating some of the lesser distances a little more than the longer ones. She came home with a personal best in the 100m freestyle, placing 13th in the prelims with a time of 54.96, and then she swam her jaw-dropping 200m freestyle to take down Missy Franklin.
The 400m freestyle could be the middle grounds to grant Ledecky the world record as her consistency this morning is unparalleled to anything we’ve seen this week.
Ledecky’s Splits
100m (28.25), (30.00) 58.25
200m (30.15), (30.19) 1:58..59
300m (30.76), (30.44) 2:59.79
400m (30.41), (29.69) 3:59.89
Based on those splits above, it’s easy to see that Ledecky was extremely consistant this morning and if she can be faster tonight, which she’s shown us she’s been faster in finals than prelims, the world record could be in serious jeopardy.
But what would that mean if the world record were in jeopardy? That would mean that Katie Ledecky would be the first swimmer since American distance star Janet Evans to hold world records in the 400, 800, and 1500m freestyles. Evans held the records from 1988 all the way through to 2006, so to be up there in the same category as agruably the greatest female distance swimmer of all time is quite the feat for Ledecky.
As early as the 2013 World Championships, there have been talks of Ledecky overtaking Evans as the premier distance freestyler to ever enter the pool. They have many similar accolades that the two have accomplished in a very similar fashion which can be found here in an article that compares the two star athletes.
Time wise, Evans was well ahead of the rest of the world, and it’s seeming now as though Ledecky is starting to make that separation from the world as well to be in a field of her own. Kate Zielger was the last person to hold a world record in the 1500, and Ledecky has already dropped eight seconds from Zielgers 2006 swim with the 15:34.23 she swam in June.
In the 800, Ledecky dropped over three seconds from Rebecca Adlington’s world record of 8:14.10 from the Beijing Olympics with the 8:11.00 that she swam in June. In comparison, Ledecky dropped five seconds off of Janet Evans legendary record of 8:16.22 that she set all the way back in 1989. Considering that, that record stayed for so long it was an impressive swim, and to drop five seconds off of that race at only 17 years of age is no easy feat.
Take into account her 400 also. Janet Evans 4:03.85 world record from 1988 was one of the longest standing records as well. She held that until 2006, but the times were still within the same range until 2008 and 2009 came along with the newly created high-tech racing suits.
Even now a 4:03.85 is regarded as an impressive time, and Ledecky dropped a 3:59.89 in prelims this morning just to put her swim in perspective. The time she’ll need to break the world record and be the first person since Janet Evans to hold all three will be a 3:59.15 set at the 2009 World Championships by Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini.
Breaking this record in finals will bring her ever closer to passing Janet Evans as the greatest female distance swimmer to ever live.
Meh. Today is day three also. She goes faster every day with usually day one being a figure it out day.
A tidbit to factor into who’s the all-time best female endurance athlete: Janet Evans was also competing in and winning the 400 IM, no small consideration. It’s not done as much by women these days. Does anyone know how to figure percent improvement of a WR by a swimmer over a career? Katie will really need the crowd, fresh legs and a close race in the 400 to claim the WR.
Michael and Ryan what? Missy who? Ms. Ledecky is the swimmer to watch now people!
I tend to agree with Bobo and CaliSwimGirl that the record’s more likely to go at Pan Pacs. I watched the prelims and she looked like she was really going for it this morning instead, and the way she turned around at the end expectantly. Then again, her coach said this week that of all the events, he has recently been training her most for the 400, and then let the 100/200 and 800/1500 fall out on either side from there. So we could see something totally amazing tonight. I wish she had more competition to push her to the new record.
I believe I didn’t write that exactly. 😆
I’ve said the schedule was not perfect at Pan Pacs.
But with Katie anything is possible!
Braden, breaking news! Mr Lasco has just broken a few minutes ago the antique 200 IM 11/12 age group record from Chas Morton! 2.15.33! I’ve watched the race live and it was, as always with that little prodigy, a pure delight in terms of technique and race strategy.
YO DON’T JINX IT.
If she gets struck by lightning up on the blocks tonight, we’ll know why.
😆
No joke. A young guy was struck by lightning and killed at Venice Beach a couple weeks ago, and another dozen seriously injured, unheard of for SoCal. As SoCal coast inches toward more of a subtropical, rather than the current Mediterranean, climate, meet governing bodies in coming decades may have to take that into consideration for outdoor summer meets.
If she breaks the world record tonight, then I will post a song of Justin Bieber on swimswam to celebrate.
There are a couple of girls that come to mind… Shane Gould (Australia) held all the world records from 100 through 1500 and Helene Madison (USA) circa 1936 that had the same accomplishments (100-1500).