Ledecky breaks through
A roundup of Wednesday’s action from the Olympic Games
When Katie Ledecky finally saw that familiar number next to her name, the emotions flooded to the surface at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
She tumbled over the lane rope to give her runner-up teammate a hug. She let out an uncharacteristic scream toward the American cheering section in the mostly empty arena. Finally, as the tears seemed ready to flow, she pulled the goggles back down over her eyes before exiting the pool.
On her third try at these Olympics, Ledecky finally touched first.
Bouncing back from the worst finish of her brilliant Olympic career, Ledecky claimed the first-ever gold medal in the women’s 1,500meter freestyle Wednesday.
About an hour earlier, she was blown away by Australia’s Terminator, Ariarne Titmus, who made it 2-for-2 in their rivalry with a victory in the 200 free.
“After the 200, I knew I had to turn the page very quickly,” Ledecky said. “In the warmdown pool I was thinking of my family. Kind of each stroke I was thinking of my grandparents.”
Simone Biles withdrew from Thursday’s all-around competition to focus on her mental well-being. USA Gymnastics said in a statement that the 24-year-old is opting to not compete. The decision comes a day after Biles removed herself from the team final following one rotation because she felt she wasn’t mentally ready. The organization said Biles will be evaluated daily before deciding if she will participate in next week’s individual events.
Damian Lillard scored 21 points and the U.S. men’s basketball team rebounded from an opening loss with their first victory of these Olympics, romping past Iran 120-66. France continued its mometum with a 97-77 win over the Czech Republic behind Evan Fournier’s 21 points.
Britain won the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the Olympics for the first time since 1908, but just missed a world record. With a powerhouse group that included the 1-2 finishers in the 200 freestyle, Britain blew away the field in 6 minutes, 58.58 seconds. The four-time defending champion Americans finished fourth — the first time they’ve failed to win a medal in the event other than the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.