Katie Ledecky Goes Sub-15:00 in 1650-Yard Freestyle at Namesake Meet
A few months ago, organizers announced that the Nation’s Capital Invitational was being renamed the Katie Ledecky Invitational, in honor of the distance-freestyle legend who emerged as a future star in Potomac Valley Swimming.
Well, the meet could not have asked for a better way to usher in its new title, as Katie Ledecky – doing what she does best – produced a stunning performance on Sunday night.
Racing the 1650-yard freestyle at the University of Maryland, Ledecky became the first woman to break the 15-minute barrier in the event, clocking a time of 14:59.62. Ledecky’s performance lowered her own American record in the event, which had stood at 15:01.41 since 2023. She is more than 24 seconds faster than the No. 2 performer in history, Erica Sullivan (15:23.81).
It has been another banner year for Ledecky, the four-time Olympic champion in the 800-meter freestyle. Earlier in the year, she set her first world record since 2016 when she covered the 800 freestyle in 8:04.12. That effort was followed by a double in the 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle at the World Championships in Singapore. Now, she has broken another barrier by dipping under the 15-minute threshold in the 1650 freestyle.
More than 1500 athletes were expected to compete at the KLI, which was initially named the Tom Dolan Invitational before becoming the NCAP Invite. Athletes from around the Mid-Atlantic Region made up the majority of the swimmers at the University of Maryland, and Ledecky was sure to treat those in attendance on Sunday night with a memory they will never forget.
Ledecky was like a metronome on Sunday evening. After opening with a 25.40 split for her first 50 yards, she settled into a routine of 27-second splits that carried her to the latest sensational achievement of her Hall of Fame career. Until her incredible closing split of 26.12, Ledecky was 27-something on every one of her other splits.
Here is a look at her consistency:
25.40 – 27.44 – 27.56 – 27.49 – 27.48 – 27.29 – 27.24 – 27.39 – 27.39 – 27.28 (4:31.96 at 500 yards)
27.16 – 27.12 – 27.11 – 27.09 – 27.16 – 27.24 – 27.08 – 27.32 – 27.28 – 27.49 (9:04.01 at 1,000 yards – 4:32.05 500 split)
27.38 – 27.38 – 27.51 – 27.55 – 27.34 – 27.37 – 27.52 – 27.58 – 27.50 – 27.66 (13:38.80 at 1,500 yards – 4:34.79 500 split)
27.42 – 27.28 – 26.12
Ledecky is no stranger to barrier-breaking performances. In addition to becoming the first woman to break 15 minutes into the 1650 freestyle, she was the first female to go sub-4:30 in the 500-yard freestyle and was the first woman to go sub-8:10 in the 800-meter freestyle. More, was the first woman to break 15:30 in the 1500 freestyle.
Amazing. She is such a positive force and representative for our country.