‘Queen of the pool’ Ledecky wins record-equaling ninth gold

American superstar Katie Ledecky tied the record for most gold medals by a female Olympian when she won the 800-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics.

Ledecky clocked eight minutes, 11.04 seconds, becoming the only woman – and only swimmer, other than the great Michael Phelps – to win four gold medals at the Olympics in the same event.

It was Ledecky’s ninth gold medal at the Olympics, equaling former Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina and bringing her total to 14 medals.

Phelps has the most medals of any Olympic athlete: 28, 23 of which are gold.

“The four-time record is the record that means the most to me,” Ledecky, 27, said afterward.

“August 3rd is the day I won in 2012, and I didn’t want August 3rd to be a day where I didn’t want to continue.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself, so I’m glad I got the job done.”

Earlier on Saturday, Summer McIntosh’s stunning Games debut continued as the 17-year-old Canadian secured her third gold medal with victory in the women’s 200-metre individual medley.

But Britain’s defence in the 4x100m medley relay ended in disappointment, with the quartet finishing seventh.

Ledecky’s distance dominance continues

Ledecky has won four medals in Paris alone: ​​two gold, one silver and one bronze.

She became the United States’ most decorated female Olympian on Thursday with silver in the women’s 4x200m relay.

She is so dominant in the 800m freestyle that she has lost only once in 13 years at the distance, and that was to rising star McIntosh at a regional meet earlier in 2024.

McIntosh decided not to swim the 800 meters in Paris, meaning Ledecky’s biggest rival was old rival Ariarne Titmus.

Australia’s Titmus defeated Ledecky earlier this week in the battle for gold in the 400m freestyle, but she was unable to keep up with the American in the closing stages of her favoured distance.

The two shared a warm moment at the end of the race, with Ledecky raising both arms in the air before Titmus applauded her opponent as she left the arena.

“We’ve just seen a piece of history there,” Steve Parry, Great Britain’s 2004 bronze medallist, said on BBC 5 Live.

“Ledecky is the absolute queen of the pool. It’s absolutely brilliant to see someone dominate a distance event for 13 years.”

Titmus took silver in a time of 8:12.29, while Ledecky’s American teammate Paige Madden (8:13.00) completed the podium.

‘Winning takes away all pain’

Canada’s McIntosh has become one of the highlights of the Games, with the teenager tipped to break numerous records in her career.

She has already started in Paris, where she finished the 200-meter medley in an Olympic record of 2:05.56, securing her fourth medal on her Games debut.

“It was definitely painful. Winning makes all the pain go away,” she told the BBC.

“I screamed at myself a few times underwater because I noticed I was lagging behind.

“I knew I just had to keep going and break through that wall.”

She previously won gold in the 200-meter butterfly and the 400-meter medley, and silver in the 400-meter freestyle.

Americans Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh won silver and bronze respectively, but Walsh was disqualified before she left the pool for an illegal switch from backstroke to breaststroke.

This meant that Australia’s Kaylee McKeown was promoted to bronze.

McKeown later joined her teammates for the mixed relay, with the Australians securing bronze.

The United States won gold in 3:37.43 and China silver, but the British quartet of Kathleen Dawson, James Wilby, Duncan Scott and Anna Hopkin struggled from the start and finished well outside the medals.