A Week of Katie Ledecky Stats (Day Three): Dominance in the 1500 Freestyle is Hard to Comprehend
A little more than a week after she stunningly lowered her world record in the 800-meter freestyle to 8:04.12, Swimming World continues its Week of Katie Ledecky Statistics. Each day for a week, we are running a short piece that highlights Ledecky-related stats, numbers that place additional context on her legendary career.
Visit the World Aquatics website. Go to the all-time rankings page and advance to the section on the women’s 1500-meter freestyle. There, you will find Katie Ledecky’s name – over and over. In fact, considerable scrolling is necessary before you come across another athlete. Such is the dominance of the 28-year-old Ledecky, widely regarded as the greatest female swimmer in history.
The 1500 freestyle was added to the Olympic program beginning with the 2020 Tokyo Games, and Ledecky has won both gold medals in the event. She is also a five-time world champion. But her greatness in the event is more apparent by looking at the discipline’s all-time status. Not only does Ledecky own the 21-fastest times in the history of the 1500 freestyle, she has posted 25 of the 26-swiftest performances ever.
Still, here’s the premier statistic that illustrates Ledecky’s dominance in the 1500 freestyle. Her world record of 15:20.48, registered at the 2018 Pro Series in Indianapolis, is 18.40 seconds clear of the No. 2 performer. Sitting behind Ledecky – well behind – is Denmark’s Lotte Friis, who clocked a mark of 15:38.88 at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. In that race, Friis claimed the silver medal, with Ledecky earning gold.
How much is 18-plus seconds? In a 1500 freestyle, that margin accounts for more than half a pool length. More, Ledecky is 1.97% faster over 30 laps than any other woman.