Ledecky takes 200m freestyle for third win

Katie Ledecky clocked the second-fastest time in the world this year to win the 200m freestyle at the US swimming championships on Thursday, holding off the challenge of 2012 Olympic champion Allison Schmitt.

Ledecky touched in 1:54.60 – second only to her own 1:54.56 in June this year – to add the 200m title to the 800m free crown she claimed on Wednesday.

Ledecky led from start to finish, but the 28-year-old Schmitt, who returned to competition in April for the first time since the Rio Olympic Games, clung to her hip all the way to finish second in 1:55.82 and Ledecky looked as pleased with Schmitt’s finish as her own.

She was already looking forward to teaming with Schmitt in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo in August.

“I knew she was having a great swim the whole race, just having her right there the whole time right next to me,” Ledecky said of Schmitt, a three-time Olympian who stepped away from the sport after the Rio Olympic Games and only resumed training last September.

“She’s just the most likeable person and such a great friend and such an asset to Team USA. It’s going to be great to have her in Tokyo.”

Gabby Deloof was third in 1:56.55 and Leah Smith fourth in 1:56.93, all securing berths for the Pan Pacs, which with this week’s meet will serve as the qualifier for the 2019 world championships in South Korea – curtain raiser to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Schmitt, who has used her experience struggling with depression to become an outspoken advocate for mental health care, was buoyed by some supportive pre-race texts from her old teammate Michael Phelps.

Josh Prenot, a Rio silver medalist who failed to qualify for last year’s world championships, made a statement in the 200m breaststroke, winning with the fastest time in the world this year of 2:07.28.

Andrew Wilson was second in 2:08.71, edging Will Licon by one one-hundredth of a second.