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Katie Ledecky smashes 800m freestyle world record again; Gretchen Walsh beats her own 100m butterfly mark

Katie Ledecky shattered her own 800m freestyle world record at the Tyr Pro Series in Florida, clocking 8:04.12. This comes as a huge boost ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.

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Katie Ledecky of United States reacts after winning the race. Image: Reuters
Katie Ledecky of United States reacts after winning the race. Image: Reuters
|May 04, 2025, 18:34:30 IST

American Katie Ledecky shattered her own 800 metres freestyle world record in 8 minutes 4.12 seconds at the Tyr Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, finding her best form heading into the world championships.

Ledecky bettered her previous mark of 8:04.79 set nearly a decade ago at the Rio Games that many thought would outlast her career and she pounded her fists on the water in an emotional celebration after seeing her time.

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It was the sixth time that Ledecky had set a new mark in the event. She took the record from Rebecca Adlington in 2013.

The record-breaking swim capped an extraordinary series of performances for the 28-year-old, the most decorated female Olympic swimmer, who posted her second-fastest 400m freestyle time on Thursday - her best in nine years – and the second-fastest 1500m freestyle time in history on Wednesday.

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The hot streak is a welcome sign for Ledecky, who swept the 800m and 1,500m titles at both Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Games, ahead of the world championships that run from July 11-Aug 3 in Singapore.

Ledecky's last world record before Saturday came in the 1500m freestyle in May 2018.

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Earlier on Saturday, Ledecky's compatriot Gretchen Walsh beat her own 100 metres butterfly world record by clocking 55.09 seconds.

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First Published:May 04, 2025, 18:34:30 IST
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