Katie Ledecky continued her dominance of the 800 meter freestyle Saturday, winning the event and setting a slew of records for most Olympic golds.
GOAT ACTIVITY. 🇺🇸👑
KATIE LEDECKY WINS HER NINTH GOLD MEDAL! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/R6ZGqFyfG9
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
The victory, which Ledecky accomplished by holding off Australian freestyle ace Ariarne Titmus by just over a second, gives her the most Olympic gold medals won by any American woman, the most by any female swimmer in the world and ties her for the most golds won by any female athlete overall.
The win also represents the fourth Olympics in a row in which Ledecky has won the 800 meter freestyle, making her the first woman to win four consecutive golds in any Olympic event. Ledecky’s first win in 2012’s London Olympics came when she was just 15 years old, shocking the world in her first Games.
A native of Bethesda and a graduate of Stone Ridge High School, Ledecky has firmly cemented herself as one of, if not the sole, greatest female Olympians in history. The win was her last swim in Paris, meaning she will go home with a haul of two golds (1500m and 800m freestyle), one silver (4x200m freestyle relay) and one bronze (400m freestyle).
Ledecky’s swim also inched the U.S. closer to Australia in the gold medal count in swimming, with six to Australia’s seven.
