World Aquatics Championships: Katie Ledecky Wins 6th Gold in 1500m Freestyle, Anna Elendt Takes Women’s 100m Breaststroke Title

Singapore: American swimming legend Katie Ledecky claimed her sixth gold medal in the 1500m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships on Tuesday, continuing her dominance in the event.

Ledecky surged ahead with a powerful opening 1000 meters, briefly staying under her 2018 world record pace. She ultimately clocked 15:26.44, the fifth-fastest time in history. Although not her season best—she swam 15:24 in April—it was enough to secure her 17th career individual gold at the World Aquatics Championships. Her tally now includes six golds in the 800m freestyle, four in the 400m, one in the 200m, and six in the 1500m. Ledecky, trained by Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida, also earned the USA’s second swimming gold at these championships.

Simona Quadarella of Italy delivered the performance of her career to take silver with a time of 15:31.79, setting a new European record and becoming the second-fastest performer of all time in the event.

Australia’s Lani Pallister pushed Ledecky in the first 400 meters but couldn’t maintain the pace, finishing with the bronze in 15:41.18—just shy of her personal best (15:39 from June). This marks Pallister’s second individual medal at the World Championships, matching her bronze from the 1500m in Budapest 2022.

Meanwhile, in the women’s 100m breaststroke, Germany’s Anna Elendt captured her first-ever world title with a lifetime best of 1:05.19.

Defending champion Tang Qianting of China led for much of the race but was overtaken in the final stretch, settling for bronze with a time of 1:05.64. Kate Douglass of the United States, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200m breaststroke from the Paris 2024 Games, won silver in 1:05.27.

The win marks a breakthrough moment for the 23-year-old Elendt, who had previously secured silver in the same event at the 2022 World Championships.

Tang, who won gold in Doha earlier this year, continues to be a consistent podium finisher with back-to-back medals in the event.

With inputs from IANS