Americans set relay world record in swim worlds in Singapore, Ledecky wins again

The Americans set a world relay record and piled up three gold medals on Saturday in what’s been an otherwise frustrating swimming world championships for them.

And at the heart of the turnaround on the next-to-last day of the worlds in Singapore was none other than 28-year-old Katie Ledecky, the most decorated female swimmer in history.

Despite the world record in the mixed freestyle 4x100 relay - 3 minutes, 18.48 seconds - the story was Ledecky remaining unbeaten in the 800 freestyle.

She first won that race in the 2012 Olympics and has never lost since in a major competition.

Perhaps for the first time in her career, Ledecky was given only a 50-50 shot by many to beat the 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, the star of these worlds with Frenchman Leon Marchand.

McIntosh’s best time this season was 8:05.07 - just behind Ledecky’s world mark of 8:04.12 set earlier this year.

After 700 meters, McIntosh of Canada was ahead by 0.14 seconds, but she faded and Ledecky won in 8:05.62 with Lani Pallister of Australia taking silver (8:05.98). McIntosh (8:07.29) settled for bronze.

McIntosh has won three individual gold medals in Singapore and was trying for five. She will come up short, though she will be the favorite in Sunday’s 400 individual medley.

Ledecky said she was unaware she was trailing and, when asked about it, glanced down at a race-results sheet to confirm it.

“I didn’t know,” she said. “I just knew it was close the whole way. There were times where I thought I was just going to break away. I was just happy I was up there. “You just never know when you dive in what everyone’s tactics are going to be - or what’s going to happen,” she added. “It was fun to just to be in that kind of a race. Just try to make small moves just here and there.”

Ledecky has won 23 gold medals at world championships and 30 overall. Add to that nine Olympic gold medals and 14 Olympics medals overall. If you’re counting, that 44 Olympic and world medals.

McIntosh, who won three gold medals in the Paris Olympics, hates losing and she showed it afterward with her comments. They were short and right to the point.

“Obviously, that’s not even close to what I wanted; time-wise, place-wise, how I executed the race. Nothing,” she said.

Gretchen Walsh of the United States won the 50 butterfly in 24.83 seconds for her second individual gold of the worlds. Earlier in the worlds she won the 100 fly.

Agencies