Katie Ledecky holds off Claire Weinstein to win 400m free at US Swimming Championships
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Katie Ledecky competes in the 400m free at the US Swimming Championships.
PHOTO: AFP
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CHICAGO – Nine-gold Olympic champion Katie Ledecky notched another impressive victory at the US Swimming Championships on June 6, clocking 3min 58.56sec to win the 400m freestyle to add another event to her 2025 World Championships programme.
The American, who had already punched her ticket to the championships in Singapore by winning the 800m free, was under world-record pace at the 200m mark and came home 1.49sec in front of Claire Weinstein – who led Ledecky in a one-two finish in the 200m free this week.
“I just wanted to put together a solid race, start to finish,” Ledecky said after capturing her 32nd national title.
“I was definitely hurting the last 100, but overall I’m pretty happy with that.”
The 28-year-old, who is also slated to swim the 1,500m free as the championships conclude in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 7, will be heading to Singapore in July on a high note.
In May she swam the second-fastest 1,500m free in history behind her own world record, her second-best 400m free and an 800m free world mark.
“It’s just a lot of consistency year after year and always believing that I had something more in me... just kind of trusting that would pay off,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kate Douglass surged past world-record holder Lilly King in the final 20 metres to win the 100m breaststroke in 1:05.79, leaving the three-time Olympic gold medallist second in 1:06.02.
Douglass denied King a victory in what the veteran has said was her last race in a US pool, having announced this season will be her last.
“It’s been such a great ride, and can’t wait to rep USA this summer,” said the 28-year-old, who will have a chance to add to her tally of 11 world titles in Singapore before she says goodbye for good.
She also admitted that the prospect of racing in front of home fans for the last time brought out some unfamiliar emotions.
“I had a little moment after the race, but this isn’t my last meet,” King said. “I was trying not to think too much about it... it was a weird feeling (before the race). That was an interesting thing to deal with for the first time.”
World-record holder Regan Smith won the women’s 100m backstroke, overtaking Katharine Berkoff on the second lap to win in 57.69sec.
Smith claimed her first victory of the week after three runner-up finishes, with Berkoff second in 58.13.
Rex Maurer won the men’s 400m free in 3:43.33, slicing more than three seconds off his personal best with the second-fastest time in the world this season behind German Olympic champion Lukas Martens’ 3:39.96 world record in April.
Luka Mijatovic, 16, was second in 3:45.71.
Teenager Campbell McKean added the men’s 100m breaststroke title to his 50m victory, clocking an impressive 58.96sec to finish 22-hundredths of a second in front of Josh Matheny.
Tommy Janton won the men’s 100m back in a personal best 53.00sec to make his first World Championships team. Jack Aikins, winner of the 200m back, was second in 53.19. AFP
