She Does It Again: Ledecky Smashes WR With 3:56.46 In 400 Free

2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Swimming: August 6-13
• Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
• Prelims – 9:00 a.m/12:00 p.m PST/EST (1:00 p.m local), Finals – 6:00 p.m/9:00 p.m PST/EST (10:00 p.m local)
• SwimSwam previews 

Katie Ledecky‘s campaign for 2016 Olympic dominance has started out perfect – just like Ledecky in individual international finals.

Still undefeated individually on the world’s stage, Ledecky opened her 2016 Olympics with a bang, demolishing her own world record in the 400 free with a 3:56.46.

That’s a mind-blowing time that crushed the Olympic field by almost five full seconds. Ledecky shook even the world’s best by just a few laps into the race and never looked back, with the world record line at her feet most of the way.

Of all the world records Ledecky has obliterated, this is one of the most impressive in terms of the sheer amount she took off the standing record.

Here’s a comparison of splits between Ledecky’s old and new world records:

Ledecky now owns the 6 fastest swims in history in the event, along with 9 of the top 10. The only non-Ledecky member of that list is former world record-holder Federica Pellegrini, who swam that time in 2009 in a now-banned supersuit:

Top 400 Frees in History

1. Ledecky (2016) – 3:56.46
2. Ledecky (2014) – 3:58.37
3. Ledecky (2016) – 3:58.71
4. Ledecky (2014) – 3:58.86
5. Ledecky (2016) – 3:58.98
6. Ledecky (2015) – 3:59.13
7. Pellegrini (2009) – 3:59.15
8. Ledecky (2016) – 3:59.54
9. Ledecky (2013) – 3:59.82
10. Ledecky (2014) – 3:59.89