A Look at the Dominance of Katie Ledecky in the 800-Meter Freestyle

Katie Ledecky of the United States of America reacts after winning the gold medal in the 1500m Freestyle Women Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 25th, 2023.

A Look at the Dominance of Katie Ledecky in the 800-Meter Freestyle

Over the weekend, distance legend Katie Ledecky registered her latest victory in the 800-meter freestyle, the event which launched her to stardom. Racing at the Knoxville stop of the TYR Pro Series, Ledecky clocked a time of 8:14.97 to claim a 12-plus second triumph over runnerup Paige Madden (8:27.64).

Only four other women in history have been faster – China’s Li Bingjie (8:13.31) and Wang Jianjiahe (8:14.64), Australian Ariarne Titmus (8:13.59) and Great Britain’s Rebecca Adington (8:14.10), the world-record holder before Ledecky. Meanwhile, Ledecky’s world record of 8:04.79 from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is nearly nine seconds clear of Li, the No. 2 performer of all-time.

Following Ledecky’s victory in Knoxville, NBC Sports’ Nick Zaccardi, one of the top Olympic journalists in the world, noted that Ledecky owns the top-50 American performances in the history of the 800 freestyle. Zaccardi also indicated that Janet Evans, whose American record Ledecky broke en route to gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, remains the No. 2 American in the event, from her 1989 world record of 8:16.22.

Katie Ledecky, in her Olympic debut in 2012 at age 15, won the 800m freestyle and broke Janet Evans' American record from 1989. In the last 11 1/2 years, Ledecky recorded the TOP 50+ times in U.S. history (adding another today), with Evans still the second-fastest American ever. pic.twitter.com/KH2rtkBzlh

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) January 14, 2024

With the Olympic year underway, Ledecky holds the 28-fastest 800 freestyles ever produced. She is also seeking a fourth consecutive Olympic title in the event, which would make her just the second person to four-peat in swimming. Michael Phelps won gold in the 200 individual medley at the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games.

Here is a look at the 30-fastest times in the history of the 800 freestyle.

Ledecky – 8:04.79 (2016)
Ledecky – 8:06.68 (2016)
Ledecky – 8:07.07 (2023)
Ledecky – 8:07.27 (2018)
Ledecky – 8:07.39 (2015)
Ledecky – 8:08.04 (2022)
Ledecky – 8:08.87 (2023)
Ledecky – 8:09.13 (2018)
Ledecky – 8:09.27 (2022)
Ledecky – 8:10.32 (2016)
Ledecky – 8:10.70 (2019)
Ledecky – 8:10.91 (2016)
Ledecky – 8:11.00 (2014)
Ledecky – 8:11.08 (2018)
Ledecky – 8:11.21 (2015)
Ledecky – 8:11.35 (2014)
Ledecky – 8:11.50 (2017)
Ledecky – 8:11.70 (2018)
Ledecky – 8:11.98 (2018)
Ledecky – 8:12.03 (2022)
Ledecky – 8:12.57 (2021)
Ledecky – 8:12.68 (2017)
Ledecky – 8:12.81 (2021)
Ledecky – 8:12.86 (2016)
Ledecky – 8:13.02 (2015)
Ledecky – 8:13.06 (2022)
Ledecky – 8:13.20 (2016)
Ledecky – 8:13.25 (2015)
Li Bingjie – 8:13.31 (2023)
Ledecky – 8:13.56 (2023)

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