It’s an unlucky 13th race for swim star Ledecky
U.S. freestyler settles for silver in 200 after 12 straight gold medals at worlds
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY— Katie Ledecky reached for the wall. Someone else was already there. For the first time ever at the world championships, Ledecky discovered what it was like to lose.
Bidding to become only the second female swimmer to win six golds at a single worlds, Ledecky settled for silver in the 200-metre freestyle Wednesday when Italy’s Federica Pellegrini surged to a stunning victory on the final lap.
Pellegrini, the world-record holder, avenged a close defeat at the hands of Ledecky two years ago in Kazan, Russia. This time, it was the Italian touching first in one minute, 54.73 seconds.
Ledecky and Australia’s Emma McKeon tied for the silver at 1:55.18.
“I just didn’t really have it today,” Ledecky said.
“I can’t complain really with the silver medal.”
While Pellegrini covered her mouth in delight and climbed atop a lane rope to celebrate, Ledecky stared blankly at the scoreboard.
She had never seen a “2” beside her name at the world championships.
But there it was in Budapest, where Ledecky’s unbeaten streak in the secondbiggest swimming competition after the Olympics finally came to an end.
“I didn’t really feel at the end that I had that extra gear that I normally have,” said the 20-year-old Stanford student from the Washington, D.C., suburbs. “I didn’t really see much for the last 50.”
Ledecky had been 12 of 12 over the last three world championships, including three golds in this stately European capital. But her most audacious schedule yet — six freestyle events covering distances ranging from 100 metres (on a relay) to 1,500 (the gruelling metric mile) — finally caught up with her along the banks of the Danube.
Missy Franklin will remain the only female swimmer to win a half-dozen events at the worlds, while Ledecky can still take comfort in being the winningest female swimmer overall. Her 12 golds trail only fellow Americans Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte for the most victories. And now she has a silver, too. “It happens,” said Ledecky, who will be a heavy gold-medal favourite in her last two events, the 800 free and 4x200 free relay. “It happens to every athlete at some point. I know this race will really motivate me moving forward and the rest of the week as well.”
Of course, losing to Pellegrini was hardly an embarrassment.
The 28-year-old became the first swimmer in the history of the championship to capture seven medals in a single individual event. Pellegrini’s incredible run in the 200 free began at the 2005 worlds in Montreal, where she grabbed a silver. She was third in 2007 at Melbourne, and then had back-to-back victories, including a world-record performance in 2009 (1:52.98) that still stands from the rubber-suit era.
Pellegrini was runner-up at the last two worlds, finishing behind Franklin in 2013 at Barcelona and Ledecky two years ago.
“I honestly thought the one to win the race would be Katie,” Pellegrini said. “It wasn’t.”
McKeon got off to a blistering start, making the first turn more than a half-second below the record pace, while Ledecky — normally a slow starter because of her distance background — was lagging in fifth.
Ledecky turned on the speed and was just one-hundredth of a second behind the Aussie when they made the final flip. But the two leaders, having spent so much energy duelling each other, didn’t have anything left for the final lap.
Pellegrini sure did. Her closing 50 was a blistering 28.82 — nearly a full second faster than both Ledecky and McKeon.
“Everything seemed to be in slow motion to me in the water,” Pellegrini said. ““It’s incredible. I didn’t believe I would make it. I still can’t believe it.”