Katie Ledecky’s Week-Long Dominance In Indianapolis Books Her Spot In Paris

Katie Ledecky will return to her fourth straight Olympics after lighting up the U.S. Olympic trials at Lucas Oil Stadium this week.

The Bethesda, Maryland, native has been the best American long-distance swimmer since she broke onto the scene at age 15, and her reign continues. Early in the week, she qualified as an American representative in the 400-meter freestyle, winning the event with a 3:58.35 time.

Last week, she eviscerated the field in her patented event, the 1500-meter freestyle. Ledecky finished with a 15:37.35 time, over 20 seconds faster than second place. She now owns the top 16 times in history for the event and looks to be at her peak with the Olympics just over a month away.

However, she still had more in the tank and began her pursuit of qualifying for the 800-meter freestyle. She won her preliminary heat and finished a half-lap better than second place.

“I never imagined I’d get to go to a fourth Olympic Games,” Ledecky stated, “I feel like I enjoy this more and more each year, and I think that’s a testament to the people around me my whole career.”

Ledecky ignited a Lucas Oil Stadium crowd of over 20,000 people as she swam in front of the most spectators in U.S. swimming history.

Along with her brilliance, Gretchen Walsh provided a moment of history for the fans. Walsh broke a world record in the women’s 100-meter butterfly with a 55.18 in the semifinals as she looks to dawn the red, white and blue for the first time at the Olympics.

The Americans are expected to do well in Paris next month, with Fan Duel having the United States set at -550 to win the most gold medals. The Olympics begin on July 26 and end on August 11. Olympic swimming starts on July 27 and finishes on August 9.

Article by Jordan Silversmith