Race Footage: Ledecky Worlds 400 Free presented by Universal Sports Network

This is complete race footage of the women’s 400 freestyle championship final at the 2013 FINA World Championships courtesy of swimswam partner Universal Sports Network.

See 400 free race coverage as reported by swimswam editor-in-chief, Braden Keith: 

The young American Katie Ledecky won the first World Championship medal of her career, at only 16 years old, taking this women’s 400 free in 3:59.82. That is the best time ever done in textile, the second-fastest time ever done in any suit, a new National Age Group Record (obviously), a new American Record, and makes her only the second woman under four minutes in the history of the sport.

She was out hard in this race, splitting 1:58.74 at the halfway and ahead of World Record pace. She’s always ahead of World Record pace, but every meet we expect to see something new from the young American.

She didn’t give it all back, but ended up just shy of Federica Pellegrini’s 3:59.15 in this race. Remember that Pellegrini is very much a ‘closing’ swimmer, so other than the last 50 meters, Ledecky would’ve had that record.

That wasn’t the only thing that drove the Palau crazy in this final. Their own swimmer Mealnie Costa-Schmid wasn’t rattled by Ledecky’s pace, and took silver in 4:02.47, a new Spanish Record by more than  three seconds, and only the second medal in swimming that the Spanish women have ever won at the World Championships (adding to a gold by Nina Zhivanevskaya in 2003, also in Barcelona).

New Zealand’s Lauren Boyle, riding off of a great Olympic performance, took bronze in 4:03.89, while Britain’s Jazz Carlin was 4th in 4:04.03. Carlin was only passed by Boyle in the last 30 or so meters.

Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas was 5th in 4:05.90, followed by Venezuelan Andreina Pinto in 4:07.14, only the 9th time a Venezuelan has ever finaled at Worlds.

The defending Olympic Champion Camille Muffat was 7th in 4:07.67, and Australia’s Kylie Palmerwas 8th in 4:08.13.

The full women’s 400 free results available here.

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bobo gigi
10 years ago

Thank you but it doesn’t work for me here in France like usually with the universal sports videos. Perhaps it works just in USA.
Fortunately for the swimswam readers of the entire world, I have posted the race yesterday on the day 1 live recap.

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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