World championships gold medal is the 17th of her career, behind only Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
But once Ledecky, 25, walked onto the pool deck and took her place on the starting blocks Monday, the race was all but over, the only remaining questions being how low she would go and how far ahead of the field she would finish. The answers: 15 minutes 30.15 seconds and half a pool length.
American teammate Katie Grimes, a 16-year-old who is part of the generation of young distance swimmers inspired by Ledecky, took the silver medal in 15:44.89, with Australia’s Lani Pallister claiming bronze.“It’s pretty wild,” Ledecky said to NBC during a poolside interview after the race when asked about her career haul of medals, “because I feel like it was just yesterday I was in Barcelona at my first worlds [in 2013].
“Just to see how far she’s come in a year and the maturity she has and how much energy she brings to the team — I don’t think I was like that when I was her age,” Ledecky said of Grimes. “It’s just awesome being on the blocks next to her, and to share this moment with her is really awesome.”
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