Katie Ledecky Swims Second-Fastest 400 Free of Her Career in Comeback Win Over Summer McIntosh
The swims put forth by Katie Ledecky over the past two days at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale have been some of the best of her career, and that’s no small accomplishment considering she is the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history. Ledecky opened the meet with the second-fastest performance ever in the 1500 freestyle, her fastest effort in seven years, and she followed that up with a stunning victory over teenage star Summer McIntosh in the 400 free.
The race started out as a world-record attempt for the Canadian, with McIntosh flipping under the pace of Australia’s Ariarne Titmus through 300 meters, but Ledecky stayed within striking distance before starting to close the gap on the sixth of eight lengths. On lap No. 7, McIntosh showed her fatigue while Ledecky surged ahead and turned to her fierce finishing kick to pull away. The result was a performance she had been chasing for almost nine years.
Ledecky touched in 3:56.81, only 35-hundredths behind the American record she set on her way to gold at the 2016 Olympics. That meet is widely considered the finest of her career, with Ledecky sweeping gold medals in the 200, 400 and 800 free plus the 800 free relay.
In the years since, Ledecky has never again come close to her best time of 3:56.46. She swam in the 3:57-range in May 2018, a time which stood as the U.S. Open record until Thursday, and again in the Tokyo Olympic final and otherwise never under 3:58. That changed in joyous fashion Thursday evening, and this mark stands as the seventh-fastest by any swimmer in history.
In the aftermath, Ledecky broke into a massive smile and appeared on the verge of tears. In a post-race interview with NBC Sports, she said, “I don’t know if I ever thought I was going to be 3:56 again.”
Meanwhile, McIntosh faded down the stretch, but she swam a superb time of 3:58.28, a performance sure to be overshadowed by Ledecky’s unexpected breakthrough. The mark was nine hundredths quicker than she swam to win silver behind Titmus in the Olympic final last year, a race where Ledecky earned bronze.
The two swimmers are set for another clash in less than three months at the World Championships. Titmus is planning to skip that meet in Singapore, so Ledecky and McIntosh will be heavily favored for a 1-2 finish on the global level, with the order to be determined.
Third in the race went to Claire Weinstein in 4:01.26, obliterating her previous best time of 4:04.54. Weinstein now ranks No. 3 in the world this year behind Ledecky and McIntosh.
