Katie Ledecky ties Michael Phelps’ record at World Championships

Olympic and World Champion swimmer Katie Ledecky has added another accolade to her stunning career.

With her victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle event at the World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 25, Ledecky earned her 15th individual gold at the worlds — a tie for most individual gold medals at the worlds, which she now co-holds with another superstar in the sport, Michael Phelps.

Ledecky made the whole record-setting event look so smooth and simple. As she touched the wall to complete the swim, her nearest competitor was more than 17 seconds behind.

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It’s not the first time Ledecky has made history with the 1,500-meter freestyle event. In the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics held in July 2021, Ledecky brought home the gold medal in the same event, a first-time event during those Games.

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A little more than three years from that historic day, Ledecky swam into the record books with another winning 1,500-meter freestyle swim.

The individual gold medal record held by Ledecky and Phelps for the World Aquatics Championships stands at 15 as of July 25. But that record could be broken on Saturday when Ledecky swims in the 800-meter individual freestyle event.

Ledecky earned her first medal at the 2023 Worlds on July 23 with a silver medal performance in the 400-meter freestyle event. Following her second-place finish, Ledecky reached out to her fans on Twitter to share her reaction to her silver medal and excitement for today’s 1,500-meter event.

“Day 1 400 free in the books, happy with my swim! Always an honor to pick up a medal for @USASwimming especially in such a fast 400 final,” she wrote. “We’re just getting started, excited to get going on some distance with the 1500 up next here.”

The 26-year-old’s next event will be as part of the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay team.