Since her inception in competitive swimming, Katie Ledecky didn’t have to face much hard bound competition from her opponents. However, her competitors’ list was never out of surprise. The name in the runners-up or the subsequent list changed with the emergence of Simone Manuel and Leah Smith. But on the top list, Ledecky made an insurmountable tryst. But that love affair couldn’t continue with the rise of teenagers like Summer McIntosh, Katie Grimes, and their ilks. So for the fans of the swimming legend, the Paris Olympics 2024 occasion is all set to gift some nail-biting competitions, extracted from Katie Ledecky.
In that favored list of swimming competitions, TYR Pro Swim Series 2024 paved the first step. Being the champion, Katie Ledecky couldn’t miss the juncture.
Katie Ledecky unfurls her arrow speed in 1500m free
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The Knoxville Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center set up the tone of the TYR Pro Swim Series 2024 beautifully on the very first day of the event. With gasping for more challenge and sparks of success, the 1500m free event saw some of the best names in the swimming locking horns with each other. However, as inevitable as it ever was for the last few occasions, American long-distance swimming queen Katie Ledecky had it all in her name. As she was in the pool last year in Fukuoka, facing the challenges of strong-willed Katie Grimes and Bella Sims, the first leg of the swim series couldn’t go as an aberration. That reflected this year also.
As Swimcoverage added on X-post, this time Katie Ledecky took less time to win the 1500m free juggernaut. The caption went,” Women’s 1500Fr Katie Ledecky 15:38.81 Katie Ledecky’s first race of the year at the Paris Olympics as she aims for her fourth consecutive gold medal!”
🇺🇸#TYRProSeries 2024 in Knoxville
女子1500Fr
ケイティ・レデッキー 15:38.81自身4大会連続金メダルを狙うKatie Ledeckyのパリ五輪イヤー1発目のレース! pic.twitter.com/aa4LuF4a3Y
— 競泳NEWS (@swimcoverage) January 10, 2024
The 26-year-old swimmer registered the current speed in the 17th position of all time in the history of competitive swimming. Moreover, the 1500m free event saw her etching the top record in the TYR Pro Swim Series, back in the days of 2018. The second one came in the 2015 World Championship when she was in her NCAA years. However, the TYR Pro Swim Series 2024 timing lagged behind Ledecky’s Fukuoka record made last year. So, combining all the records, the reigning Olympic champion now holds 23 out of those. Other swimmers grabbed just two from that record register.
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The hurried yet so poised run
Katie Ledecky started her first 1500m free in the 2013 World Championship. At that moment, her LC record kept Kate Zeigler’s 15:42.54 clocking at bay. Previously, Zeigler’s record was the fastest one in the TYR swimming meet. However, in the wake of the 800m free US Swimming champion, a thorough improvement in the timing surfaced. As of now, the 1500m free timing lingers in the sub-15 category. All the credit goes to the swimming icon, Katie Ledecky.
Read more: The Story of Olympic Champion Katie Ledecky at TYR Pro Series
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Now in the coming days, Ledecky will go for the short-distance free events from January 11, in the TYR Pro Swim Series.
Watch this story: Olympic Legends Simone Phelps, Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky Hangout With Gold Medals Around Their Neck