Katie Ledecky wins record 13th medal with silver

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No other American woman has more Olympic medals than Ledecky.

By PAUL NEWBERRY, Associated Press

August 2, 2024 | 8:05 am

NANTERRE, France (AP) — It wasn’t the medal Katie Ledecky would have preferred.

Still, it was good enough for the record books.

On a night when Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh claimed another victory and Kate Douglass claimed gold for the Americans, Ledecky claimed the 13th medal of her stellar career to become the most decorated woman in swimming history on Thursday.

Ledecky and three American teammates took silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, behind an Australian team led by individual gold medalists Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus.

“I’ve tried not to think about it too much, just take it event by event and know that I have challenges in each of my events,” Ledecky said after returning to the pool Friday for the 800-meter freestyle preliminaries, her final event. “When it’s all of a sudden over, I’m going to enjoy it.”

In her penultimate event of these Games, Ledecky broke the record she shared with fellow Americans Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin and Jenny Thompson. The 27-year-old now has eight golds, four silvers and one bronze from four Olympics, and has every intention of swimming to Los Angeles in 2028.

McIntosh comfortably won the 200m butterfly, giving American Regan Smith the now familiar silver medal.

But Douglass put the United States on top of the podium in the 200-meter breaststroke, a race that essentially served as a changing of the guard.

Veteran American star Lilly King, competing in her final Olympics, came last in the final. She pushed her way through several ropes to embrace Douglass, one of the world’s most versatile swimmers and now a gold medalist.

It was the fourth gold medal in swimming for the world’s most dominant swimming nation, in addition to 10 silver medals and six bronze.

No other American woman has more Olympic medals than Ledecky. Only four athletes rank higher on the overall list, which is led by Michael Phelps with 28.

Relay gold for the Australians

O’Callaghan, the 200m freestyle gold medallist, led the way for the Australians, giving them a lead they never relinquished.

Lani Pallister and Briana Throssell kept the team Down Under ahead, even as Ledecky tried in vain to chase down Throssell on the third leg.

By the time Titmus launched into the opening leg, it was pretty much over. The 400m freestyle winner and 200m freestyle silver medallist finished with an Olympic record of 7:38.08.

Erin Gemmell held off China to give the United States the silver in 7:40.86. Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden rounded out the U.S. team.

Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie, Ge Chutong and Liu Yaxin won bronze in 7:42.34.

Ledecky is the favorite in the 800 meters, an event she has won at the past three Olympics. Phelps is the only swimmer to win the same event at four consecutive Summer Games.

McIntosh pursues China’s Zhang Yufei.

China’s Zhang Yufei, the reigning Olympic champion and one of nearly two dozen swimmers from her country who tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Games but were allowed to compete, pushed the pace in the 200-meter butterfly for the first half of the race.

But there was no way he was going to hold McIntosh back.

The 17-year-old took the lead in the third 50m and left no doubt in the final lap, clocking an Olympic record of 2:03.03.

Smith also got the better of Zhang, but had no chance of catching the youngster who has established herself as one of the biggest stars in La Defense Arena.

McIntosh opened the Games with a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle, finishing ahead of Katie Ledecky, and swept the 400-meter individual medley.

This was another defeat. Smith touched the target in 2:03.84 to claim her fourth silver medal in a career that has yet to produce a gold. Zhang took bronze in 2:05.09.

Red, white and blue for gold.

Douglass, who won bronze in the 200m individual medley in Tokyo, now has a complete collection.

She began the Paris Games by helping the Americans win silver in the 4×100 freestyle relay.

She got the best color ever on Thursday.

Douglass took the lead in the second of four laps and held off South Africa’s Tatjana Smith to win in 2:19.24.

Smith, who won gold in the 100m breaststroke, took silver in 2:19.60, in what she said afterwards was her last race. Bronze went to Dutchwoman Tes Schouten (2:21.05).

King, a five-time medal winner, including two golds at the last two Olympics, failed to take home any individual honors in her Olympic farewell. She tied for fourth in the 100 breaststroke and finished more than 6 1/2 seconds behind Douglass in the 200.

Douglass has a chance to win another medal in the 200m individual medley.

Another Bowman swimmer wins gold.

Hungary’s Hubert Kós took gold in the 200m backstroke, another triumph for a swimmer coached by Bob Bowman.

Kós came back in the final lap and overtook Greek Apostolos Christou. The winner finished in 1:54.26, while Christou took silver in 1:54.82. Bronze went to Roman Mityukov of Switzerland in 1:54.85.

Bowman coached Kós at Arizona State University, where he competed alongside the biggest swimming star of these games, France’s Léon Marchand.

Bowman now runs the program at the University of Texas, and Kós has transferred to join him.

Kós praised Bowman, best known as Michael Phelps’ coach, for pushing him to new heights.

“It’s been an incredible experience with him and I’m very happy to be part of a team like this,” said Kós. “The magic touch is the work. He doesn’t let us be second best. He doesn’t let us stoop to a level that he doesn’t want us to. That brings out the best in us.”

More magic from Marchand

Marchand set up another gold medal run, recording the fastest time (1:56.31) in the semifinals of the men’s 200-meter individual medley.

Already a three-time gold medal winner, the French star is the big favourite to claim his fourth in a row on the final Friday of his final individual event.

American Carson Foster recorded the second fastest time (1:56.37).

Caeleb Dressel advances to the 50 freestyle final.

After a close fight in the morning preliminaries, American Caeleb Dressel will have the opportunity to defend his Olympic title in the 50-meter freestyle on Friday night.

Dressel posted the fifth-fastest time in the evening semifinals (21.58) on Thursday, after tying for 13th in the heats. Benjamin Proud of Great Britain and Cameron McEvoy of Australia shared first place in the swim’s most chaotic race — a full-throttle race from one end of the pool to the other — with a time of 21.38.