Katie Ledecky solidified her status as the most decorated female Olympic swimmer in history, but had to settle for silver as Australia’s team clinched victory in the 4x200m freestyle relay on Thursday night at La Défense Arena.
Just one night after the 27-year-old American made history by becoming the first female swimmer to win gold at four different Olympics, following her triumph in the women’s 1500m freestyle, Ledecky achieved her 13th Olympic medal. This surpasses the records held by fellow American swimmers Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, and Australia’s Emma McKeon.
The Australian squad—comprised of Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell, and Ariarne Titmus—set an Olympic record time of 7 minutes 38.08 seconds. Jamie Perkins and Shayna Jack, who participated in the preliminary heats, also received gold medals.
Ledecky’s impressive performance on the third leg propelled her teammates Claire Weinstein, Paige Madden, and Erin Gemmell from third to second place, but it wasn’t sufficient to overtake their Australian competitors, who finished 2.78 seconds faster to secure gold.
“It’s amazing to be part of even a fraction of the journey she has taken,” Gemmell expressed. “Participating in a relay is so much more enjoyable than swimming alone; we had a wonderful time tonight.”
Earlier, Kate Douglass provided the American team with a much-needed lift by securing her first individual Olympic gold in the 200m breaststroke, finishing ahead of South Africa’s Tatjana Smith and Tes Schouten from the Netherlands, who earned silver and bronze respectively.
The 22-year-old Douglass has emerged as one of the world’s most adaptable swimmers since earning a bronze in the 200m individual medley at her Olympic debut three years ago, and is highly anticipated to surpass that achievement later this week.
“I feel like this was a long time coming,” Douglass remarked. “This past year, I’ve been training and preparing for this exact race. It was exciting to see everything come together and stick to my race plan, especially when I realized I had won and set an American record. It’s a surreal feeling; I don’t think all the emotions have fully set in yet.”
Before Douglass’s win, Canada’s rising star, Summer McIntosh, earned her second gold medal with a commanding performance in the 200m butterfly final, handing American swimmer Regan Smith her fourth silver medal, still in search of her first gold.
“Honestly, I don’t want to dwell on what it means to win gold versus silver,” Smith, 22, stated. “If you overthink it, you’ll never find happiness. I want to take pride in my achievements regardless. It might be a cliché, but it’s true.
“If this had happened three years ago, it would have left me devastated and impacted my mental health for quite some time, which it did after Tokyo.
“Fortunately, I’ve gained a lot of life experience and I’m in a better place now with swimming. It’s my biggest passion, but it doesn’t define my entire life.
“I’ll continue to fight hard. If I end up with a gold medal, that’s fantastic; if I don’t, I’m still who I am, and I’m perfectly fine.”
Douglass’ gold medal marked the fourth for the United States at these Paris Games, contributing to their tally of 11 silver and six bronze medals.
