Ledecky clocked 8:13.58 in the women’s 800 meter freestyle final at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Fellow American swimmer Leah Smith finished in sixth place with a time of 8:17.10.
This was quite the comeback for Ledecky since earlier in the week she had to withdraw from the women’s 200 meter freestyle and the 1,500 meter freestyle due to illness.
On a lighter note, this marks Ledecky’s fourth career World Championship win in the 800 meter freestyle race.
Prior to that, Ledecky had won the silver medal in the women’s 400 meter freestyle final with a time of 3:59.97 right behind Aussie swimmer Ariarne Titmus who clocked 3:58.76, an Oceanian record. American swimmer Leah Smith claimed the bronze in the 400 meter freestyle with 4:01.29.
In the women’s 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay race, Ledecky helped Team USA win the silver medal.
This fall, Ledecky will be competing for DC Trident in the International Swimming League (ISL).
This past December, as Digital Journal reported, Ledecky was the queen of the Winter National Championships that took place at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina.
At the 2018 Golden Goggle Awards, Ledecky was honored as “Female Athlete of the Year.” Ledecky chatted with this journalist on the red carpet of the Golden Goggle Awards, which was held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.
