 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Images from the Olympics swimming action at the La Defense Arena, Paris, on Saturday.
Already rated one of swimming's all-time greats coming into the Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky made it official on Saturday by storming to victory in her signature event, the 800 metres freestyle to end her work in the French capital in great style.
French torpedo Leon Marchand may be the prince of Paris, electrifying the home nation with four spectacular gold medals. But it is Ledecky writing her name in the record books after she claimed her ninth gold, equalling Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most by any woman in any Olympic sport.
In sharp contrast to Ledecky's runaway win in the 1,500m, the 800m freestyle was a thriller from start to finish, with Ariarne Titmus matching her stroke-for-stroke for almost the entire distance.
But with the American setting a relentless, grinding pace, her great Australian rival would never get her nose in front, settling silver with Ledecky getting to wall first in a time of 8 minutes, 11.04 seconds.
Paige Madden took bronze for the United States.
If is the fourth time Ledecky has won the 800m free, and she joins compatriot Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to win gold in four different Olympics.
The 800m was the final event on Ledecky's Paris card and she returns home having added two golds, a silver and a bronze, bringing her Olympic stockpile to 14 medals in all - with more possible.
The 27-year-old has hinted that a home Olympics in Los Angeles in four years is on her mind.
McIntosh wins medley double with 200m gold
Canada's Summer McIntosh set a 200 metres individual medley Olympic record on Saturday as she won her third gold of the Paris Games and completed a double in the four-stroke event.
The 17-year-old touched out in two minutes 06.56 seconds to take down the 2016 record of 2:06.58 set by Hungary's Katinka Hosszu at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Kate Douglass of the United States won the silver and Australian Kaylee McKeown was awarded the bronze after U.S. swimmer Alex Walsh, the 2021 silver medallist, was disqualified for an illegal turn at the end of the backstroke leg.
Walsh was visibly upset and did not stop to speak with reporters after leaving the pool deck.
McIntosh won the 400 IM last Monday and also took gold in the 200 butterfly on Thursday.
With a silver in the 400 freestyle on the opening Saturday, she now has four medals from Paris.
Douglass, the 200 breaststroke gold medallist last Thursday, led after the butterfly leg but then faded as McIntosh hit the front with the backstroke. Walsh then led at the 150 mark, but the Canadian powered back in the freestyle.
Silver was a step up from the bronze Douglass won at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, while the bronze was backstroke queen McKeown's seventh Olympic medal and third from Paris.
McKeown's teammate Ella Ramsey, the eighth-fastest qualifier, did not start the final after the team reported she had tested positive for COVID.
USA take mixed 4x100 medley gold with World record
Caeleb Dressel won his ninth career Olympic gold medal from the sidelines as the United States romped to victory in the mixed 4x100 metres medley relay in World record time.
China took the silver and Australia the bronze. France, with Leon Marchand swimming the second leg, finished fourth -- the four-gold hero's first defeat in a final at the La Defense Arena.
The winning time of three minutes 37.43 seconds smashed the record of 3:37.58 set by previous champions Britain at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Ryan Murphy swam the opening leg for the United States, with Nic Fink and Gretchen Walsh following before Torri Huske made sure of the gold.
Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, Dressel and Abbey Weitzeil had all swum in the preliminary on Friday to secure the place in the final and were also rewarded for their efforts.
Dressel has only ever won gold medals from his three Games, adding two in Paris to the five he won in Tokyo and a pair in Rio de Janeiro.
The presence of Marchand, the Paris poster boy whose heroics have brought an unforgettable atmosphere to the converted rugby stadium, raised the roof again. But even the 22-year-old could not work the kind of miracle that was needed.
China's silver medal time of 3:37.55 was also inside the 2021 World record while Australia clocked an Oceanian record of 3:38.76.
Britain, without breaststroke powerhouse Adam Peaty, finished only seventh.
Sweden's Sjostrom sets 50m freestyle Olympic record in semis
Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom set an Olympic record in the 50 metres freestyle semi-finals at the Paris Games on Saturday, to add to the world mark that she set last year.
The silver medallist in 2021 had touched out in 23.85 seconds in the morning heats and then clocked 23.66 in her semi-final to smash the Olympic record of 23.81 set by Australia's Emma McKeon in Tokyo.
Sjostrom set the world record of 23.61 at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, last year and that now looks under threat in Sunday's final in Paris.
"I've never been that fast in a prelim swim at this kind of competition, like Olympics or world champs, so I'll take that," the 30-year-old told reporters after her morning effort.
"For the 50 I usually need a few races before I really get the extra little speed."
Sjostrom won gold in the 100 metres freestyle on Wednesday and is chasing a sprint double at the La Defense Arena.
The pool has so far produced only one world record although plenty of Olympic records have tumbled, but the Swede was the only swimmer to complete the distance inside 24 seconds in the heats and semis.
"I'm not going to force it and try to go for a world record," said the Swede after the heats.
"I'm just going to try to be as smooth as I can and then I'll see if I go 23.5 or 23.9 or 8, I don't know."
Sjostrom is also in Sweden's 4x100 medley relay team, with that final the last race on Sunday to close out the Olympic swimming programme.
