Tokyo – When Kathy Ledecky finally seeing a familiar number next to her name, emotions bubbled to the surface at the Tokyo Aquatics Center.
She toppled over the rope to hug a teammate who finished second. She let out an uncharacteristic scream toward the American cheering section in the nearly empty arena. Finally, when the tears seemed ready to flow, she pulled the goggles back over her eyes before exiting the pool.
On her third attempt at these Olympics, Ledecky finally touched first.
Bouncing back from the worst finish of her glittering Olympic career, Ledecky won the first-ever gold medal in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle on Wednesday.
About an hour earlier, she was beaten by Australian Terminator Ariarne Titmus, who went 2-for-2 in her rivalry with a win in the 200 free.
Ledecky did not even win a medal – it happened to her for the first time at the Olympic races. She trailed hard all the way, never rising above her fifth place finish.
“After the 200, I realized I needed to turn the page very quickly,” Ledecky said. “In the heated pool, I thought about my family. With every stroke, I thought about my grandparents.”
Her voice choked with emotion. She squinted her eyes, trying not to cry.
“They’re the toughest four people I know,” Ledecky said, “and that’s what got me through it.”
The metric mile wasn’t quite the breeze everyone expected, given Ledecky’s long-standing dominance in the event, which was finally added to the Olympic program for these games. She built a big lead from the start and then worked hard to hold off a blistering finish from American teammate Erica Sullivan.
But Ledecky touched first – 15 minutes 37.39 seconds. Silver was won by Sullivan (15:41.41), and bronze by Germany’s Sarah Kohler (15:42.91).
“I think people are maybe worried about me, that I’m not going to win anything and everything, but I want people to be more concerned about the other things that are going on in the world, the people who are really suffering,” Ledecky said. “I’m just proud to bring home a gold medal for Team USA.”
A day later Simone Biles’ stunning exit during the team gymnastics event, Ledecky insisted she was unfazed by the weight of the huge expectations placed on her after winning four gold medals and a silver at the 2016 Rio Games.
“I feel like I can handle the pressure,” she said. “The biggest pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself, and I feel like I’ve overcome that over the years. I really just want to enjoy the experience.”
Titmuss secured her place as one of the game’s biggest stars and gave the Aussies their third individual swimming gold in an Olympic record 1:53.50, adding to her thrilling triumph in the 400m free.
Titmus, who will face Ledecky again in the 800m free, showed sympathy for the swimmer who was considered her biggest rival.
“I don’t think it’s a bad result for her. She’s still fifth in the Olympics,” the Australian said. “It was the field that had the most depth of any of my events.”
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