September 19, 2024
NANTERRE, France (AP) — It wasn't the medal Katie Ledecky would've preferred.
Still, it was good enough for the record books.
On a night when Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh romped to another victory and Kate Douglass claimed a gold for the Americans, Ledecky collected the 13th medal of her stellar career to become the most decorated woman in swimming history Thursday.
Ledecky and three American teammates took silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, trailing an Australian squad led by individual gold medalists Mollie O'Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus.
“There’s always pressure, but I think we were just going out there to do the best we could and win a medal and whatever records come with that medal will come and that’s what happened,” said Erin Gemmell, who took the anchor leg after Ledecky went third.
In her next-to-last event of these games, Ledecky broke the mark she shared with fellow Americans Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin and Jenny Thompson. The 27-year-old now has eight golds, four silvers and one bronze over four Olympics, with every intention of swimming on to Los Angeles in 2028.
McIntosh cruised to victory in the 200 butterfly, dealing American Regan Smith a familiar silver-medal finish.
But Douglass put the U.S. on the top of the podium in the 200 breaststroke, a race that essentially served as a changing of the guard.
Longtime American star Lilly King, competing in her final Olympics, finished last in the final. She made her way over several lane ropes to give a hug to Douglass, one of the world's most versatile swimmers and now a gold medalist.
It was the fourth swimming gold for the world's most dominant swimming nation, to go along with 10 silver medals and six bronzes.
No other American woman has more Olympic medals than Ledecky. Only four athletes rank higher on the overall list, which is led by Michael Phelps with 28.
