Chicago (AFP) – Nine-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky notched another impressive victory at the US Swimming Championships on Friday, clocking 3min 58.56sec to win the 400m freestyle and add another event to her 2025 World Championships programme. Ledecky, who had already punched her ticket to the World Championships in Singapore with a victory in the 800m free, was under world record pace at the 200m mark and came home 1.49sec in front of Claire Weinstein, who led Ledecky in a one-two finish in the 200m free this week.
“I just wanted to put together a solid race, start to finish,” Ledecky said after capturing her 32nd national title. “I was definitely hurting the last 100, but overall I’m pretty happy with that.” Ledecky, who is also slated to swim the 1,500m free as the championships conclude in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday, will head to worlds in Singapore next month on a high note. In May, she swam the second-fastest 1,500m free in history behind her own world record, alongside her second-best 400 free ever and an 800m free world record. “It’s just a lot of consistency year after year and always believing that I had something more in me… just kind of trusting that would pay off,” she said.
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Kate Douglass surged past world record-holder Lilly King in the final 20 meters to win the 100m breaststroke in 1:05.79, with three-time Olympic gold medallist King taking second in 1:06.02. Douglass denied King a victory in what the veteran has said was her last race in a US pool, having announced this season will be her last. “It’s been such a great ride, and I can’t wait to rep USA this summer,” said King, who will have a chance to add to her tally of 11 world titles in Singapore before she says goodbye for good.
King admitted that the prospect of racing in front of home fans for the last time brought out some unfamiliar emotions. “I had a little moment after the race, but this isn’t my last meet,” she said. “I was trying not to think too much about it… it was a weird feeling (before the race). That was an interesting thing to deal with for the first time.”
World record-holder Regan Smith won the women’s 100m backstroke, overtaking Katharine Berkoff on the second lap to win in 57.69. Smith claimed her first victory of the week after three runner-up finishes, with Berkoff second in 58.13. Rex Maurer won the men’s 400m free in 3:43.53, slicing more than three seconds off his personal best with the second-fastest time in the world this season behind the world record of 3:39.96 set by Lukas Martens in April. Luka Mijatovic, 16, was second in 3:45.71.
Teenager Campbell McKean added the men’s 100m breaststroke title to his 50m victory, clocking an impressive 58.96sec to finish 22-hundredths of a second in front of Josh Matheny. Tommy Janton won the men’s 100m back in a personal best 53.00sec to make his first World Championships team, while Jack Aikins, winner of the 200m back, was second in 53.19.
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