Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

INDIA — The fact that Katie Ledecky is going to her fourth Olympics seemed unthinkable when she was a 15-year-old London child.

These days, without her, it wouldn’t seem like a Summer Games.

At the U.S. swimming trials on Saturday night, Ledecky, as solid as ever, won the 400-meter freestyle event.

Ledecky | AP News Image

Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

She presents qualifying for the Olympics as much simpler than it is. Ledecky is just the fourth American swimmer to qualify for the biggest stage of the sport at least four times.

She remarked that I take great satisfaction in such consistency. Feeling as though you are not making progress can be difficult at times, but being so consistent, nevertheless, makes me very happy. I now know to seize the day and truly love training.

Twenty-six thousand people watched as Ledecky reached the wall in the makeshift pool in three minutes and fifty-eight seconds.

She lowered her morning preliminaries time of 3:59.99 and positioned herself to challenge a strong field for another gold medal at the Paris Games.

In the 400 free, Australian “Terminator” Ariarne Titmus holds the world record and is the reigning Olympic gold medallist. Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh is expected to challenge for the top podium position.

Ledecky lost an individual event in Tokyo, finishing second to Titmus.

In Paris, too, she will have her work cut out for her.

Following her world record-breaking 200-meter freestyle and narrowly missing breaking her 400-meter mark in the Australian trials, Titmus won at 3:55.44, almost three seconds faster than Ledecky’s pace in Indianapolis.

It will be a tremendous field, Ledecky declared. “I have always performed rather well at becoming faster at the games in the time between the trials and the games. This time, the aim remains the same. With luck, that will place me well for the 400.

Ledecky | AP news Image

Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

At the national trials, 27-year-old Ledecky is scheduled to swim four freestyle events, ranging from 200 to 1,500 meters. More gold medals than any female swimmer in Olympic history have already been hers—six golds in all.

Reminiscent of her 2012 London Olympics debut, Ledecky said, “I never thought I would make it there.” When I was a little child, I never imagined that.

Ledecky was driven to achieve ever higher goals after shockingly winning the 800 free in her lone event.

“I wanted to prove that I wasn’t a one-hit wonder, get back to that level,” she remarked. However, I also reminded myself that anything over that is only the cherry on top, the icing on the cake.

She will, therefore, value a fourth Olympic visit even more.

Suburban Carmel resident Aaron Shackell, who won the men’s 400 freestyle, will compete in the Olympics for the first time.

At 3:45.46, Shackell was touched to defeat bronze medallist Kieran Smith in this Tokyo Olympics event. Smith finished as runner-up in 3:45.76, which should be sufficient to qualify him for the Summer Games.

The top two in each race are expected to join the formidable American team, which is encouraging for Paige Madden, who finished second to Ledecky in 4:02.08.

Gretchen Walsh eclipsed Ledecky and Shackell on the first night of the trials. With a time of 55.18 in the semifinal heat of the 100-meter butterfly, the 21-year-old University of Virginia student established a world mark.

Ledecky | AP News Image

Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

Walsh finished well to surpass the world record 55.48 set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, despite being more than a half-second slower at the turn.

Walsh added that a little buzz has been created. Though I knew it would need a (55) point-4 or point-5, I didn’t believe I could complete it tonight. I only knew I wanted to set a world record, and now look at me.

Walsh glanced incredulously at the scoreboard, a “WR” next to her name, hand over mouth. She still has some work to do, though, if she is to make her first Olympic team.

Olympic medallists Torri Huske, Regan Smith, and Claire Curzan will also compete in the 100 fly final on Sunday night. Shackell’s sister Alex qualified for the final as well and will be vying to join her brother on the Olympic team.

SOURCE – (AP)