NANTERRE, France — Katie Ledecky clinched gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle on Wednesday, bringing her career medal count to 12 and matching the record set by Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin for the most medals by an American female swimmer.
Ledecky’s dominant performance, achieved with an Olympic record time, also marked her eighth career gold medal, equaling Thompson’s record for the most golds by any female swimmer in Olympic history.
Though Ledecky said she doesn’t focus much on historical records, she expressed deep admiration for the legendary U.S. swimmers she now shares the record with. “Those women are people I’ve looked up to for many years,” she told reporters. “I consider many of them friends and supporters. They’ve inspired me greatly.”
After finishing with a time of 15:30.02, Ledecky, from Bethesda, Maryland, celebrated by splashing the water—a rare display of emotion for her. “I was just happy with the time and how it felt,” she said. “Winning any gold medal is a significant achievement, and I wanted to fully appreciate this moment.”
Australian swimmer Emma McKeon also has 12 medals—six gold, two silver, and four bronze—placing all five swimmers at the top of the list for the most podium finishes by a female swimmer.
Thompson earned her medals in Athens (2004), Sydney (2000), Atlanta (1996), and Barcelona (1992), while Ledecky, 27, has now added to her tally from Tokyo, Rio (2016), and London (2012).
Coughlin secured three golds, four silvers, and five bronzes in Athens, Beijing (2008), and London (2012), while Torres won four golds, four silvers, and four bronzes in Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988), Barcelona, Sydney, and Beijing.
Ledecky still has opportunities to add to her medal count, with upcoming events in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay on Thursday and the 800-meter freestyle on Friday at Paris La Défense Arena.
Earlier in the week, Ledecky earned her first career bronze in the 400-meter freestyle, finishing third behind gold medalist Ariarne Titmus of Australia and runner-up Summer McIntosh of Canada.
McKeon also secured her 12th medal as part of Australia’s winning 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.
Ledecky shared the spotlight on Wednesday night with French national hero Léon Marchand, who won two gold medals just hours apart. In the 200 butterfly, Marchand set an Olympic record with a powerful final 50 meters to overtake silver medalist Kristóf Milák of Hungary. He then completed his remarkable evening with another Olympic record in the 200 breaststroke, thrilling the deafening French crowd.
Marchand embraced the energy from the crowd during his races. “I wasn’t ignoring the noise. I was really trying to absorb it,” he said. “The energy from the crowd helped me win.”
