World Championships, Day 6 Prelims: Katie Ledecky Chasing 6th Straight 800 Free Title as Top Seed

Katie Ledecky of United States of America prepares to compete in the 400m Freestyle Women Heats during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 23rd, 2023.

Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

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World Championships, Day 6 Prelims: Katie Ledecky Chasing 6th Straight 800 Free Title as Top Seed

Katie Ledecky made history this week by tying Michael Phelps for the most ever individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships. There would be no more fitting way for her to break the tie than with a win in the 800 free.

Ledecky positioned herself to do that with an excellent prelims swim Friday morning, going 8:15.60 to secure the top seed in Saturday night’s final at Marine Messe Hall in Fukuoka.

She’s followed by the usual set of challengers: Li Bingjie of China is the second seed in 8:20.51, with Erika Fairweather following in 8:21.06 and 400 free champ Ariarne Titmus fourth in 8:21.25.

The 800 is Ledecky’s baby, in part thanks to the long-held and since-overturned Olympic obstinance to women swimming the 1,500. She has won the event at each Worlds dating to the 2013 edition in Barcelona, where she won four individual golds, to the famous Kazan quadruple in 2015. Even in 2019, when an illness limited her program in Gwangju, she still managed to get gold in the 800. That’s in addition to the last three Olympic titles. Few events in swimming history are as synonymous with one person as Ledecky and the 800.

She made a typical mockery of the final preliminary heat Friday, stopping the clock in 8:15.60, nearly six seconds clear of her pursuers.

The final won’t be such a waltz, though, given the speed in the distance field of this era.

The first circle-seeded heat featured an early separation, with Isabel Gose, Titmus and Fairweather going clear with Li at their feet. Li worked the back half, though, to overtake the group and get to the wall first, a surge befitting the women’s 1,500 bronze medalist. Fairweather, the bronze-winner in the 400, turned it on in the final 50 to edge Titmus. Gose is the seventh seed in 8:21.71, to make her third final of the meet, after finishing sixth in the 1,500 and seventh in the 400.

Second to Ledecky was Australian Lani Pallister in 8:21.38. Simona Quadarella is looking to add to her silver in the 1,500. The Italian is sixth in 8:21.65. Rounding out the final is American Jillian Cox, who went 8:22.20, denying Anastasiia Kirpichnikova by .54 seconds.

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