“Would have won World Championship gold”: Katie Ledecky wins 200m freestyle national title at blistering pace
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Katie Ledecky
Although Katie Ledecky did not compete in the 200m freestyle at the World Championships last month, her winning time at the U.S. Championships on Wednesday would have taken first place in the world competition by almost a half-second. Ledecky won the national title in 1 minute 54.50 seconds at Irvine, California- beating Erin Gemmell by 1.64 seconds. In domestic 200m free competitions, Ledecky has gone eight years without losing.
The fourth-best time of Ledecky’s career was achieved. Only Australian opponent Ariarne Titmus, who swam a 1:53.31s in her National Championships in May, has gone faster this year. Titmus, who also beat Ledecky’s 400m free world record at the Australian nationals, skipped the World Championships to concentrate on the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Ledecky skipped the 200-meter freestyle semifinals at the world championships in part because the 1500-meter freestyle final was scheduled for the same night. Yang Junxuan of China won the world championship in 1:54.92s. No Americans were through to the final.
Katie Ledecky swims second fastest 200m of the year; misses national record by just 0.10s
“I’m really happy with that time,” Ledecky said on Olympic Channel. “I didn’t feel so great today, so really wasn’t expecting to go that fast.” Prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ledecky hasn’t decided if she would add the 200m freestyle back to her schedule. She finished fifth in her shortest race- the 200-meter free- last year at the Tokyo Olympics, when she also took first place in the 1500-meter free. The distance of two days between the 1500 and 200 metres freestyle events in Paris increases the likelihood that Ledecky will add them back into her schedule for the Olympic Trials.
At a significant international competition, Ledecky’s most recent 200m freestyle victory came at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Luke Hobson, a 19-year-old, defeated Olympic champion Kieran Smith to win the men’s 200-meter freestyle on Wednesday in 1:46.14. Hobson lowered his personal best by 78 hundredths after finishing sixth at the world championships trials in April.
Also Read| “Couldn’t be happier” – Katie Ledecky re-claims her 400m freestyle crown at World Championships
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