Swimming Video / Race Video is courtesy of USA Swimming
See Katie Ledecky’s post race interview here.
WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINALS RECAP – 2015 Arena Pro Swim Series Austin
Katie Ledecky has been swimming well all week, just to put it lightly. She swam a time in the 400m freestyle that no swimmer in history other than herselfand Federica Pellegrini’s 2009 performance is faster than, capped off a win in the 100m freestyle with a personal best time, and won the 200m freestyle by over two-and-a-half second.
Tonight however, was all about Ledecky and the clock.
Starting the race, Ledecky was off the blocks and in the lead. At the 100 meter mark she was under world record pace and was a full two body-lengths ahead of the rest of the field. At the 200 meter mark, Ledecky wasn’t even in the same frame as the rest of the field and remained under world record pace.
With constant 1:02’s and 1:01’s, Ledecky was under world record pace for the next 400 meters. She was just off that mark at the 700 meter mark, turning in 7:11.13. With 50 to go, Ledecky was still slightly over her own world record pace. She poured a strong kick and amazing stroke-rate into the last 50 to split a 28.95 and finish just shy of her world record time of 8:11.00.
Ledecky was a 8:11.23 at the touch, a time which stands as the second best performance in the 800m freestyle of all time.
She was out in 4:05.04, back in 4:06.19. She won the race by a ridiculous amount, with second place finisher Elizabeth Beisel, who’s by no means a slow swimmer, finished second in 8:39.76.
Her progression by age since 2008 in long course.
200 free
11>>>>2.17.39
12>>>>2.11.86
13>>>>2.05.17
14>>>>2.00.01
15>>>>1.58.66
16>>>>1.56.32
17>>>>1.55.16
400 free
11>>>>4.50.80
12>>>>4.39.27
13>>>>4.20.30
14>>>>4.09.30
15>>>>4.04.34
16>>>>3.59.82
17>>>>3.58.37
800 free
11>>>>10.20.68
12>>>>9.58.38
13>>>>8.58.86
14>>>>8.30.14
15>>>>8.14.63
16>>>>8.14.86
17>>>>8.11.00
1500 free
11>>>>No time
12>>>>No time
13>>>>16.58.55
14>>>>16.24.46
15>>>>No time
16>>>>15.36.53
17>>>>15.28.36
Little correction.
800 free
16>>>>8.13.86
She also won the 1500 free at that meet in 16.24.46.
Then in November 2011, she broke the 13/14 500 free and 1650 free SCY NAG records in 4.35.14 and 9.29.81.
And in February 2012, she swam 8.30.14 at the Missouri Grand Prix in the 800 free.
Women’s 400 free. 1. Katie Ledecky in 4.10.39
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7F7pwKVpz0
For Rowdy Gaines. 🙂
2011 US junior nationals
Women’s 800 free. 1. Katie Ledecky in 8.36.05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyen9MRvoJI
Perhaps Katie needs to swim a big negative split to break the 8.10 barrier.
Like in her crazy 1500 free world record when she swam 7.45.55 in the first 750 meters and 7.42.78 in the last 750 meters. Her last 800 meters in 8.14.11!
Perhaps a first half of the race a little bit slower around 4.06.50/4.07 to come back in 4.03.
I’m sure she can do it.
Gaines:
“In March 2012, I had never heard of the name Katie Ledecky…”
C’mon Gaines! You are paid money to be a professional swimming commentator. It is YOUR JOB to know at least what’s going on in the domestic/national scene.
I live in Indonesia, and already in 2011 I had commented in this site and other swimming sites about Ledecky and I predicted swimming rivalry between the then 14 yo Ledecky and 14 yo Australian swimmer, Remy Fairweather (who swam 4:08 and 8:26), which never materialized anyway. And you live in the USA among swimmming communities and attended swimming meets in person and you get money to be a swimming professional commentator and you didn’t know about Ledecky in… Read more »
“out in 4:05.04”
Unreal