U.S. Nationals, Day 1 Finals: Katie Ledecky Swims Third-Fastest Time Ever in 800 Free; Claire Weinstein Edges Jillian Cox For Second
In typical Katie Ledecky fashion, her lead was more than a bodylength only two laps into the 800 freestyle final. From the beginning, she was chasing a world record after achieving her first long course global standard in seven years last month. She would fall just short but still post a time she has only beaten twice in her legendary career.
Ledecky entered this selection meet with a blast of momentum after that stunning record at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series. Ledecky swam the second-fastest times of her career in both the 1500 free and 400 free at that meet before taking down her own world record in the 800 free. The previous mark of 8:04.79, set at the Rio Olympics in 2016 was considered one of the finest of her legendary career, but she eclipsed that time nine years later with a time of 8:04.12.
With just a one-month gap between her record and this World Championships selection meet, Ledecky thought plenty about what she had accomplished, hoping to maintain the form that brought her back to a best time while also channeling some inspiration.
“I felt really relaxed coming into this race, just from the confidence of Fort Lauderdale and continuing to feel good in the water,” Ledecky said. “When I dove in, it was muscle memory almost. I feel like I’ve watched the race a lot since Fort Lauderdale, not always by choice. It would just come up on my Instagram. I feel like I always learn something from watching it. It helps with visualizing and keeping me in the mindset that that kind of swim is possible.”
From the beginning of this national final, Ledecky jumped onto her usual otherworldly pace. A few tenths under world-record pace turned into more than a second at the halfway point as she flipped in 4:00.66. For some perspective on that split, Leah Smith is the second-fastest American ever over 400 meters at 4:00.65, a time Ledecky surely would have surpassed if she touched the wall.
The 28-year-old began to fall off the pace in the closing quarter of the race. She was slightly off her world-record split when she flipped at 700 meters, then three-quarters of a second short at the final turn. At that point, it became clear that her new record would survive and she would settle for posting a time more than four seconds faster than any other swimmer in history.
Ledecky finished in 8:05.76, a mark she surpassed only in Fort Lauderdale and nine years ago in Rio. She lowered her U.S. Nationals meet record of 8:07.07 set in Indianapolis two years ago.
“Everyone was waving me on, which was great. It was kinda like déjà vu to Fort Lauderdale. It was a little different with it being a Trials meet and first race instead of the last race. I’m really happy with it,” Ledecky said. “Things are clicking with my stroke. I’ve got a lot of confidence. Training’s just been going really well. I think just the consistency on all fronts have led to this.”
As Ledecky went about her business at the front of the field, a showdown was unfolding between two swimmers trying to earn their spots in Singapore. Jillian Cox, fresh off a strong freshman year at the University of Texas in which she won NCAA titles in the 500 and 1650-yard free, was in that position for most of the race, seemingly poised to again join Ledecky on the global level in the 800 after previously doing so in 2023, but Claire Weinstein had something to say about that.
Weinstein was in third place and more than one-and-a-half seconds back of Cox with 100 meters remaining, but she closed in 59.35 to pull off the turnaround and secure the spot at Worlds. Weinstein touched in 8:19.67, two tenths ahead of Cox (8:19.88). Weinstein and Cox now rank fourth and fifth in the world this year, respectively, but Cox will have to wait until the 400 and 1500 free to try to earn her spot on the team.
Ledecky believes her return to world-record form has been fueled by her typically-grueling training routine plus avoiding health issues that popped up during the Olympic year. The nine-time Olympic champion and 21-time world champion had posted her fastest times in years during her first two seasons at the University of Florida, only to have setbacks in 2024. But a fall practice session shortly after returning from her post-Olympic break provided Ledecky with an indication of a special season to come.
“I saw some things early in the fall last year, just as I was getting back into training. I pushed a 15:49 (1500 free) in a practice suit. That was a practice best by 10 seconds. Starting the year like that, it was like, ‘OK, I can build from this.’ I think back to that a lot,” she said. “I’ve been healthy for most of the year. I had some ups and downs with that last year that hurt some of the momentum I had in 2022 and 2023 going into last year. I was going 8:07 in 2023 and had kind of been building. Last year kind of hit a roadblock with some things, but I was able to pick it back up this fall and run with it.”
Ledecky has only lost this race once since she emerged on the scene as a 15-year-old shortly before the 2012 Olympic Trials. The swimmer who got the better of Ledecky was Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, who went on to become the second swimmer to ever crack 8:10 with a time of 8:09.86 earlier this year. It is unclear if McIntosh will race this event at the World Championships in Singapore, where Ledecky will be aiming for her seventh world title at the distance. She has won four consecutive Olympic golds in the 800, more than any other female swimmer in any event.
