SINGAPORE — The Americans set a world relay record and piled up three gold medals Saturday in what’s been an otherwise frustrating swimming world championships for them.
And at the heart of the turnaround on the next-to-last day of the worlds in Singapore was none other than 28-year-old Katie Ledecky, the most decorated female swimmer in history.
Despite the world record in the mixed freestyle 4×100 relay — 3 minutes, 18.48 seconds — the story was Ledecky remaining unbeaten in the 800 freestyle.
She first won that race in the 2012 Olympics and has never lost since in a major competition.
Perhaps for the first time in her career, Ledecky was given only a 50-50 shot by many to beat the 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, the star of these worlds with Frenchman Leon Marchand.
McIntosh’s best time this season was 8:05.07 — just behind Ledecky’s world mark of 8:04.12 set earlier this year. After 700 meters, McIntosh of Canada was ahead by 0.14 seconds, but she faded and Ledecky won in 8:05.62 with Lani Pallister of Australia taking silver (8:05.98). McIntosh (8:07.29) settled for bronze.
Ledecky said she was unaware she was trailing and, when asked about it, glanced down at a race-results sheet to confirm it. “I didn’t know,” she said. “I just knew it was close the whole way. There were times where I thought I was just going to break away. I was just happy I was up there.
“You just never know when you dive in what everyone’s tactics are going to be — or what’s going to happen,” she added. “It was fun to just to be in that kind of a race. Just try to make small moves just here and there.”
Ledecky has won 23 gold medals at world championships and 30 overall. Add to that nine Olympic gold medals and 14 Olympics medals overall. If you’re counting, that 44 Olympic and world medals.
McIntosh, who won three gold medals in the Paris Olympics, hates losing and she showed it afterward with her comments. They were short and right to the point.
“Obviously, that’s not even close to what I wanted; time-wise, place-wise, how I executed the race. Nothing,” she said.
In other results
Gretchen Walsh of the United States won the 50 butterfly in 24.83 seconds for her second individual gold of the worlds. Earlier in the worlds she won the 100 fly. Alexandria Perkins of Australia claimed silver (25.31) with bronze for Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium (25.43).
“It feels great to be like myself again in the water after kind of a rocky week,” said Walsh, referring to the “ acute gastroenteritis ” that the Americans have battled in Singapore following a training camp in Thailand.
“Two-time world champion. Can’t complain with that,” Walsh added.
Paris Olympic 50-free gold medalist Cameron McEvoy of Australia repeated his title in the worlds, winning in a quick 21.14. Ben Proud of Britain was the silver medalist (21.26) and American Jack Alexy took bronze (21.46).
Defending champion and world-record holder Kaylee McKeown of Australia won gold again, taking the 200-meter backstroke in 2:03.33. American Regan Smith took her fourth silver medal in Singapore (2:04.29) with bronze for American Claire Curzan (2:06.04).
Maxime Grousset of France picked up his second gold, taking the 100 butterfly in 49.62, just off the world record of 49.45 by American Caeleb Dressel. Noe Ponti of Switzerland took silver (49.83) with bronze for Canadian Ilya Kharun (50.07). Grousset also won the 50 fly.
The record
It was only the second world record set in these championships. It came on a night when the United States won three gold medals, by far its best performance in what had been a lackluster championships for the team.
The relay team members were: Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske.
The Americans how have eight gold medals, one ahead of Australia with the championships closing on Sunday. The Americans have 26 overall and Australia has 17 overall.
The only other record set in the meet came earlier in the week with Marchand shattering the 200 IM record (1:52.69). He’ll try to break his own 400 IM record on Sunday, a mark of 4:02.50 set in the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka, Japan.
