Katie Ledecky swam the fastest 1500-meter race of 2021 at US Olympic Trials Wednesday night.- She finished first by 11 seconds to qualify for the event at this summer's Tokyo
Olympics . - Ledecky hit the impressive mark just one hour after
swimming in - and winning - the 200-meter.
Katie Ledecky won her race.
And then, one hour later, she won another one.
The five-time Olympic gold medalist completed an unprecedented back-to-back slate at US Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday night. Ledecky kicked off the evening by competing in - and winning - the 200-meter freestyle final.
-Meredith Cash (@mercash22) June 17, 2021
Then, with just 60 minutes to recover following the first win of the night, Ledecky stepped to the block for the 1500-meter freestyle final. Even with the added strain of the 200-meter event an hour prior, she clocked the fastest time of the year in the 1500 free and crushed the field by a whopping 11 seconds.
-#TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021
Swimming just one of those races would be exhausting for any athlete. Fortunately for her - and for those who enjoy watching history in the making - Ledecky isn't just any athlete.
With the back-to-back victories, Ledecky officially secured her spot in both events for this summer's Olympic games. She had already punched her ticket to Tokyo with a win in the 400-meter freestyle on Monday.
Ledecky's program at trials this week mimics the jam-packed schedule she intends to tackle in Tokyo. The 24-year-old aims to compete in four individual events - the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle races - in addition to the 4x200 freestyle relay for Team USA. If all goes as planned, Ledecky will compete for Olympic gold in the 200m free and 1500m free within a two-hour span on Wednesday, July 28.
She's already qualified for four of those five races. Now, she just has the 800-meter freestyle - an event she once described to Insider as "kind of like my baby" - to go before she locks in the entire slate for the Olympics.
Her program is undoubtedly ambitious, but Ledecky has her eye on making history in her third-career Olympic games. If she goes a perfect six-for-six this summer, only iconic American swimmer Michael Phelps - her former teammate - will have ever earned more gold medals in the history of the Olympic games, making Ledecky the winningest woman ever across all
The 800-meter freestyle prelims are scheduled for Friday. Then, on Saturday evening, Ledecky will swim the 800-meter freestyle final for her last race of this year's US Olympic Trials. Fans can tune in on NBC at 9 p.m. ET for coverage.