Ledecky captures 400 free for third win at US meet
CHICAGO: Five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky won her fourth US 400-meter freestyle title Friday at the US Swim Championships while Kevin Cordes set an American record in the 100 breaststroke.
Ledecky, who had already won the 200 and 800 free titles this week, captured her third crown of the meet in 3:58.44, beating runner-up Leah Smith by 5.33 seconds and her old meet record by .42 of a second.
In Saturday’s last day of the meet, a qualifying event for July’s World Championships in Budapest, Ledecky will seek another title in the 1,500 free.
Ledecky captured 200, 400 and 800 free Olympic gold last year in Rio -- defending the 800 crown she won in London -- and helped the US women’s 4x200 relay win as well.
Ledecky won the world 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle titles and shared in a 4x200 free relay win in 2013 in Barcelona then defended those crowns in 2015 at Russia while adding the 200 free to her trophy haul.
Cordes took the 100 breast in 58.74, .37 ahead of Cody Miller, to complete a US breaststroke title sweep after taking the 50 and 200 earlier in the meet.
Cordes broke the old American record of 58.87 set by 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Miller last year in Rio.
Matt Grevers won his fifth title of the meet by taking the 100 backstroke in 52.71, edging reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder Ryan Murphy who was second in 53.02.
Reigning Olympic champion Lilly King won the women’s 100 breast title in a meet-record 1:04.95 a night after setting an American record in the 50 breast.
Kathleen Baker, the Rio Olympic 100 back runner-up, won the US crown in a meet-record 58.57 while Zane Grothe won the men’s 400 free in 3:44.43. -