2025 Pro Swim Series – Fort Lauderdale
- Wednesday, April 30 – Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Recaps
Katie Ledecky broke her own 9-year-old world record in the 800 free tonight in Ft Lauderdale, clocking a time of 8:04.12. Her previous world record and lifetime best, 8:04.79, came from the 2016 Rio Olympic final. After going her first lifetime in nearly a decade in the event, Ledecky was all smiles in the mixed zone.
Ledecky is in her 2015 phelps era rn
But better
I’m beginning to think that this pool is not 50m in length, these time are downright suspicious!
They use a laser to measure pool length so that is unlikely, but it is crazy fast. This pool always has been though.
The Queen of swimming. Not saying she would do this but I do wonder if she’s going to think about if sub 8 is possible in the future? If not her even maybe someone else.
I think we’ll see sub 8 within the next 20 years. Katie is such an outlier that it may take awhile for someone that can break her records to come along but Titmus and McIntosh did it in the 400. Eventually someone will. In 40 years it’ll probably take sub 8 to make an Olympic final.
It was a long time between Janet Evans’ 8:16 and Adlington’s 8:14, but not so long until Ledecky took ten seconds off that. You just never know when some freak of nature will crop up.
That reminds me how far ahead was Janet Evans ahead of number two all time when she went 8:16.22?
A bit over 3 seconds? Anke Mohring held the record at 8:19.53 from Aug 1987 until Janet took it back in March 1988 with an 8:17.12. I don’t think anyone else went any faster than Mohring’s previous record between then and August 1989 when Janet lowered the recored to 8:16.22.
I’m not sure anyone else went under 8:20 other than Janet until 2000. There is also the whole how do you feel about any East German swimmer from the 1980’s with Anke Mohring’s only sub 8:20 and short term WR. The wikipedia page looks to have the WR progression correct. Tracey Wickham’s 8:24.62 from Aug of 1972 until Evan’s 8:22.44 in July of 1987. Then the progress Pags mentions. Swimming doesn’t have stuff like this https://www.alltime-athletics.com/w_800ok.htm that would make these questions a lot easier.
Yeah, the East German performances of that era are suspect for sure. Australian Julie McDonald went 8:22.93 at Seoul, which I believe was still the fastest non-East-German time standing when Janet went 8:16 a year later. It is hard to find comprehensive data.
FWIW, Janet’s 8:16 still has her ranked as 12th all time. I don’t think there are any other performances from the 1980’s or 1990’s in any event, men or women, that keep the swimmer ranked in the top 25 all time. And only a handful from the pre-super-suit 2000’s (i.e. 2000-2007). The overwhelming majority of Top 25 performers have done it in the last 16 years.
I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody breaks 8:04 within the next 20 years, people were taking about Katie breaking 8:00 back in 2016 but it took her 9 years just to get back to that 8:04.
Others may have passed her in the 400 but the 800 and 1500 have always been Ledecky’s better events and speciality.
Only two swimmers have significantly advanced the pace since Adlingtions 8:14.10 mark set in 2008; Ledecky and McIntosh. If Summer set a singular goal of beating Ledecky’s 800 WR, I believe she could do it. I don’t see that happening, though, as she has much broader goals and the talent to achieve them.
Thought she’d foresure retire after LA 2028. Beginning to think she’ll swim through 2032 and still be a winner
In an interview she said she doesn’t see herself going to 2032, I wonder if she’ll change her mind
She is certainly an anomaly when it comes to women’s swimming. You just don’t really see women getting faster or being as consistent as she has been, especially in distance races.