Star US distance swimmer Katie Ledecky is back to her old tricks, registering her fastest 1,500-meter freestyle in seven years — and the event’s second-best time in history — at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday.
The nine-time Olympic gold medalist finished the 30 pool lengths in 15:24.51, just missing the world-record 15:20.48 race time she posted in 2018.
Ledecky now holds the 1,500-meter freestyle’s top 22 fastest times in women’s swimming history — all of which would have won Wednesday’s final race, where she defeated second-place finisher Jillian Cox — a University of Texas freshman — by a full 39 seconds.
Even more, Ledecky didn’t slow down after her 1,500-meter performance posting her fastest 400-meter freestyle in nine years the very next day.
In the final lap of the race, the 28-year-old staged a comeback to pass Canadian teenage phenom and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Summer McIntosh and secure the win.
Her time of 3:56.81 just missed the US record of 3:56.46 that Ledecky previously claimed along with a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I don’t know if I ever thought I was going to be 3:56 again,” Ledecky said in her post-race broadcast interview. “I’m just really happy with all the work that I’ve put in to get to this point.”
How to watch Ledecky at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series
The 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series continues through Saturday, with Ledecky competing in Friday’s 200-meter freestyle final prior to racing in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday.
Both races will begin at 6 PM ET on their respective days.
Live coverage of the meet will stream on Peacock on Friday before shifting to the USA Swimming Network on Saturday.
The post Katie Ledecky Nears Own 1,500-Meter Freestyle Record at TYR Pro Swim Series appeared first on Just Women's Sports.
