Bethesda’s Katie Ledecky kept her perfect record in international finals of individual events Tuesday night by winning the women’s 200-meter freestyle, likely her toughest test in Rio.
Ledecky edged out Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström with a time of 1:53.73 seconds. Sjöström finished in 1:54.08. Ledecky has won 14 of 14 international finals.
Observe @KatieLedecky? in her natural habitat.
She won just gold, this one in the 200m Free https://t.co/BWGaUNiTHM https://t.co/AWoJoXOsUC
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2016
“That was such a tough race,” Ledecky told reporters after. “I came pretty close to throwing up the last 50 [meters]. Everything was hurting.”
It’s Ledecky’s second gold of the Olympics. She is a heavy favorite to back up her 2012 Olympic gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle with another one in that event Thursday. She would be the first swimmer since 1968 to win the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events in the same Olympics.
Here’s more on Ledecky:
There are more calls for the Olympics to add a women’s 1500-meter freestyle race, an event Ledecky has dominated in world competition but that has been rejected by the International Olympic Committee despite the fact men swim it.
ESPN’s Kavitha Davidson wrote a column on what’s wrong with saying Ledecky “swims like a man.” It’s a “compliment” that’s been thrown Ledecky’s way often over the past few months due to her male-like swimming stroke.
Rockville’s Jack Conger also earned an Olympic gold Tuesday, though some are questioning the decision to leave him off the U.S. finals team for the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
Conger, a Good Counsel High School graduate who’s attending the University of Texas, had the fastest split of the four Americans who swam in the preliminary relay race Tuesday afternoon, finishing in 1:45.73.
He was then left off the finals team Tuesday night. His replacement: Michael Phelps, who anchored the team and collected his 21st Olympic gold medal.
Some Conger supporters, including his sister, took to Twitter to ask why Conger was left off for Phelps or Ryan Lochte, another Olympic veteran who had a slightly slower split of 1:45.80 in the preliminary race.
Still, the move wasn’t totally unexpected.
After the preliminary race, Conger told The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga, “We’re going to put the best four guys on the night relay.”
Coaches for the U.S. swim team apparently decided Phelps—the most decorated Olympian ever—was one of the best four. Conger still earned a gold medal by virtue of taking part in the preliminary race.
