Katie Ledecky surpasses Michael Phelps in world championship golds
Fukuoka, Japan— Katie Ledecky's insatiability makes her one of the best freestyle swimmers ever.
The 26-year-old American became the first swimmer to win six golds in the 800-meter freestyle at worlds on Saturday. She won her 16th world title
She has 800 and 1,500 world records and has seven Olympic gold medals.
In her favorite event, her winning time of 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds—the seventh-fastest she'd ever swum—wasn't enough.
I'm continuously looking for ways to better. I'm thinking about everything. She twirled her right hand near her right ear to generate ideas.
"I'm pretty tough on myself," she stated. "But I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace."
After Tuesday's 1,500 free, Ledecky won the 800. She won 400 free silver. Li Bingjie of China won silver in 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia won bronze in 8:13.59.
"It's fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool," Ledecky said.
The US won its fourth gold in the seventh of eight pool days. Australia has 13 golds, tying their worlds record. Australia earned three additional golds Saturday.
Australia's Kaylee McKeown won the 200 backstroke. McKeown won all three backstroke events after winning the 50 and 100. She won all three world backstrokes.
"You can't change the rules," she said. I was eliminated. I had no choice. I have to carry myself well and use my fury to turn a tremendous negative into a good."