American swimmer Katie Ledecky continued her run of dominance in 2023 at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. In the process of winning her 15th individual world title, Ledecky tied Michael Phelps’ record for most of all time.
Ledecky, whom many consider to be the most dominant freestyle swimmer of all time, won the 1500m freestyle by a whopping 17 seconds en route to an iconic image of the final moment of the race. As a show of her dominance, as Ledecky touched the wall, not a single other competitor was close enough to be on screen during the broadcast.
Katie Ledecky just won the 1500m freestyle World Title by so much that she was the only person on camera when she touched the wall.
Once again, Katie swimming so fast that she looks like she's the only one swimming.
Greatest freestyler of all-time, no contest. pic.twitter.com/xSUg7M6gJX
— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) July 25, 2023
Ledecky, speaking after the race, explained how she was able to become so great at her craft. “It hurt a lot, but I am really happy with the outcome,” she said, reflecting on years of training. “The secret is just a lot of hard work and having really great people around me, including my coaches over the last 10-plus years.”
She also understands the magnitude of this accomplishment. Growing up as a young American swimmer, Ledecky always idolized Michael Phelps for his dominance and longevity in the sport of swimming. “I’ve known Michael for many years now, looked up to him as a little kid,” she explained. “Just never really imagined I would be in this position. It’s always an honor to win a medal for Team USA, especially gold.”
Ledecky is headlining a star-studded group of American swimmers who look to keep the USA atop Olympic leaderboards for years to come. After breaking onto the scene with a gold medal at 15 years old, there was no looking back for her. Ledecky has continued to represent the nation well, both in and out of the pool.
Another of Phelps’ records was broken during the event when Leon Marchand swam a blisteringly fast 400m individual medley, finishing in barely over four minutes. Swimming World shared an interview with Michael Phelps, detailing how exactly the 21-year-old phenom could eventually break the four-minute barrier in the event.
“Erik Vendt and I talked a lot about going under four minutes in the 400 IM,” the most decorated swimmer of all time said. “Him going 4:02, there’s a possibility. He’s got to use his underwaters as much as he can. That’s a big strength. We saw it on the last wall.”
Phelps became more specific, saying, “I think his backstroke has to be closer to a minute, but he has to be able to do it with no kick. He’s got to be able to do it with all tempo and arms. And he has to finish in 56. Period. We always said you finish in what you go out in. I was out in 54 and I was back in 55. If he can get to that, there’s no doubt in my mind that he can break four minutes.”
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