U.S. Nationals: Katie Ledecky Easily Tops 400 Freestyle; Bella Sims Holds Off Leah Smith for Second

Katie Ledecky -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. Nationals: Katie Ledecky Easily Tops 400 Freestyle; Bella Sims Holds Off Leah Smith for Second

When Katie Ledecky last set the world record in the women’s 400 freestyle, she was bodylengths clear of the rest of the world. In the 2016 Olympic final, Ledecky swam a time of 3:56.46 that beat her previous standard by almost two seconds. At the time, the closest swimmer to Ledecky all-time was 2.69 seconds away, and no one else had ever broken 4:00 in a textile suit.

But over the years, two women stepped up to the challenge posed by Ledecky’s greatness. First came Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, who upset Ledecky for gold at the 2019 World Championships, then out-dueled Ledecky in an epic Olympic final in Tokyo. In 2022, Titmus officially surpassed Ledecky’s best as she swam a time of 3:56.40 at the Australian Trials. However, the duo would not face off all year, with Titmus skipping the World Championships as Ledecky reclaimed gold.

And now Canada’s Summer McIntosh has arrived. The 16-year-old Canadian was second to Ledecky at the 2022 Worlds and second to Titmus at the Commonwealth Games. The abilities of this teenager were never in doubt, but she has reached the top quicker than expected. At the Canadian Trials in late March, McIntosh took away the world record from Titmus, blasting out ahead of the world-record pace by a full second and then holding on to swim a time of 3:56.06.

Prepare for the first showdown between these three since Tokyo, before McIntosh reached the level of her already-established peers. Titmus qualified for Australia’s World Championships team two weeks ago, and Ledecky added the 400 free to her lineup for Fukuoka with a dominant win in the event Friday evening at U.S. Nationals. It was never likely that Ledecky would challenge the world record, not when swimming so far ahead of the field, and indeed, Ledecky was well off her best pace while earning her three-second victory.

Bella Sims, an 18-year-old from the Sandpipers of Nevada, was the early leader in the final, going out in 57.42 to lead the 19-time world champion by three tenths at the 100-meter mark. Ledecky took over the lead on the third length and gradually pulled away. She touched in 4:00.45, faster than any swimmer aside from McIntosh and Titmus have recorded this year, but Ledecky was well off her own season best of 3:58.84 from May.

“The race was OK for me,” Ledecky said. “I’ve been better a couple times this year, so I know I can learn a lot from the race moving forward over the next couple weeks.”

Ledecky has traditionally stepped up her level of performance at major competitions when needed. Most memorably, she dropped from 4:01.27 at the 2021 Olympic Trials to 3:57.36, the second-best mark of her career, in her duel with Titmus in Tokyo. Ledecky will need that trend to continue if she hopes to pose a threat to McIntosh and Titmus next month in Fukuoka.

Meanwhile, the race was on for second between Sims and the swimmer who has joined Ledecky on the medal podium at the last three World Championships, Leah Smith. Sims has represented the U.S. in the 800 free relay at the 2021 Olympics and 2022 World Championships, but she has never competed in an individual event in a major competition. That will change in Fukuoka after Sims held off a charging Smith by sixth tenths, 4:03.45 to 4:03.85. Sims swam a best time by more than three seconds while becoming the seventh-fastest performer in the world this year.

“I went into the 400 thinking I had nothing to lose, so I just had to go for it and hope I hold on, and it worked,” Sims said. “I’m super happy with that time. Hopefully it gets faster at Worlds. I’m super excited to go to Worlds, especially with (Sandpipers teammates) Katie (Grimes) and Claire (Weinstein). They’re the best teammates ever.”

After narrowly qualifying for the final, Paige Madden swam a strong race from lane eight to take fourth in 4:06.78, just ahead of Erin Gemmell’s 4:06.93. Weinstein, who upset Ledecky in the 200 free two days earlier, fell to seventh (4:09.94).

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