[ Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports ]
Katie Ledecky Powers to Gold in Inaugural Women’s 1500 Freestyle; Erica Sullivan Rallies for Silver BY JOHN LOHN - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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t was the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the women’s marathon was added to the track and field program for the first time. As Joan Benoit captured the gold medal in sweltering heat, the event’s inclusion marked a major moment for women’s athletics. Finally, the gender was given equal billing with the men. It took 37 years for swimming to catch up.
While Ledecky won gold, a back-half flourish from American Erica Sullivan yielded the silver medal to the 21-year-old, who touched the wall in 15:41.41. That effort was a fivesecond improvement over her personal best from the prelims. Between the Olympic Trials last month in Omaha and the Games in Tokyo, Sullivan chopped 10 seconds from her personal best. She was followed as the bronze medalist by Germany’s Sarah Kohler (15:42.91).
The Games in Tokyo mark the first time women have contested the 1500-meter freestyle on the Olympic stage, their previous longest event the 800 freestyle. Although the decision to add the event should have been made long ago, it’s better late than never – as the cliché goes. More, the woman who earned the inaugural gold was perfect for the honor.
Since emerging as an Olympic champion in the 800 freestyle at the 2012 Games in London, Ledecky has been the face of distance swimming. Initially chasing Janet Evans for the distinction of greatest ever, Ledecky has assumed that identity. Consequently, it was fitting that Ledecky was crowned the first female champion in the metric mile.
Leading a gold-silver sweep for the United States, Katie Ledecky covered her 30 laps in 15:37.34 to etch her name in the record book. The greatest distance swimmer of all-time, Ledecky led wire-to-wire and posted the 12th-fastest mark in history. The fastest 11? Well, they all belong to the 24-yearold. The gold medal arrived a little more than an hour after Ledecky finished fifth in the final of the 200 freestyle, an event in which she was the defending champion.
In typical Ledecky fashion, she bolted to the front of the field off the start and was never challenged. No, this latest performance was not vintage Ledecky and didn’t come close to her world record of 15:20.48. But Ledecky was in command the whole way, building a second-plus lead by the 200 and moving that margin to two-plus seconds by the 400. Most impressive was the way Ledecky stood out mentally, grinding through a brutal schedule and operating with a
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