Katie Ledecky will be looking for an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle when she competes in her final event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ledecky first won gold as a 15-year-old at the 2012 London Games. She then set a world record in the event while repeating in Rio in 2016. Ledecky made it three in a row three years ago in Tokyo, setting the stage for her to do something no other female Olympic swimmer has ever accomplished. (Only Michael Phelps, in the 200-meter individual medley, has ever won the same event four consecutive times.)
In addition, one more gold medal for Ledecky would be her ninth, breaking a tie with Jenny Thompson and giving her the most by any American woman in Olympic history.
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Ledecky cruised to a comfortable victory in her qualifying heat, one which included fellow American Paige Madden and 400 free gold medalist Ariarne Titmus of Australia.
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Ledecky owns the fastest 16 times in history in this event, though this (8:16:62) was not one of them.
Katie Ledecky will swim her final event of the 2024 Paris Olympics when she competes in the 800-meter freestyle final. The event is scheduled to start at 3:09 p.m. ET (9:09 p.m. in Paris) on Saturday, August 3.
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