Katie Ledecky Rips No. 2 All-Time Performance in 1500 Freestyle

Katie Ledecky Rips No. 2 All-Time Performance in 1500 Freestyle at TYR Pro Series

This weekend’s TYR Pro Series stop in Fort Lauderdale is stacked with talent and is sure to provide four days of top-flight racing at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. On Wednesday night, action got underway with a pair of Olympic champions – Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke – taking center stage in the 1500-meter freestyle.

Ledecky was sensational during her time in the pool.

Behind a time of 15:24.51, Ledecky posted the second-fastest 1500 freestyle in women’s history, a time bettered only by her world record of 15:20.48 from Indianapolis in 2018. The 28-year-old, a 14-time Olympic medalist, has won the only two women’s 1500 freestyles contested in Olympic history and registered a 39-second victory over runnerup Jillian Cox, who touched the wall in 16:04.13.

Ledecky now owns the 22-fastest times in the history of the event, with her world record sitting 14 seconds faster than the No. 2 performer of all-time, Denmark’s Lotte Friis (15:38.88). The fact that she established the second-quickest effort of her career at 28 years old is a tribute to her sheer skill, training tenacity and longevity.

By moving to No. 2 on the all-time list for the event, Ledecky was nearly a second faster than the 15:25.48 she managed for a world record at the 2015 edition of the World Championships.

En route to her victory in Fort Lauderdale, Ledecky was out in 58.56 at the 100-meter mark and came through 200 meters in 2:00.04. She split 4:04.75 at 400 meters and came through the 800-meter mark at 8:12.76. Through the back half of the race, Ledecky maintained splits of 30-high and 31-low. She capped the performance with a closing split of 29.69.

Ledecky’s time on Wednesday night was more than five seconds faster than she clocked on the way to Olympic gold last summer in Paris. That title was the second Olympic crown in the 1500 free for the American, as the event wasn’t added to the women’s program until the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Results

Here is a look at Ledecky’s Top-22 efforts in the 1500 freestyle, dating back to 2013.

1. 15:20.48 (2018)
2. 15:24.51 (2025)
3. 15:25.48 (2015)
4. 15:26.27 (2023)
5. 15:27.71 (2015)
6. 15:28.36 (2014)
7. 15:29.51 (2020)
8. 15:29.64 (2023)
9. 15:30.02 (2024)
10. 15:30.15 (2022)
11. 15:31.82 (2017)
12. 15:34.23 (2014)
13. 15:35.35 (2020)
14. 15:35.65 (2017)
15. 15:35.98 (2019)
16. 15:36.53 (2013)
17. 15:36.87 (2025)
18. 15:37.34 (2020)
19. 15:37.35 (2024)
20. 15:37.99 (2023)
21. 15:38.25 (2024)
22. 15:38.81 (2024)

Bobby Finke Cruises to Men’s 1500 Free Title

Following Ledecky’s sizzling triumph, American Bobby Finke claimed a dominant win in the men’s 1500 freestyle. Finke was the only swimmer to break the 15-minute barrier, as he prevailed in 14:54.49. Second place went to 18-year-old Ryan Erisman, who stopped the clock in 15:20.47.

Like Ledecky, Finke is the winner of the past two Olympic gold medals in the 1500 freestyle. After standing on top of the podium at the Tokyo Games, Finke repeated in Paris last summer, with a world record produced in the process. Ledecky and Finke both train with the Gator Swim Club and have defined distance swimming in the United States in recent years. Finke was the Olympic champion in the 800 freestyle in Tokyo and earned silver in that event in Paris.

In Fort Lauderdale, Finke raced against the clock while delivering a strong in-season effort. He was timed in 1:55.45 at the 200-meter turn and flipped at 400 meters in 3:54.81. At the 800-meter mark, Finke was timed in 7:54.84.