Katie Ledecky set a new record for the 1,500-meter race — by nearly 10 seconds : NPR

Katie Ledecky of the United States competes in the Women 800m Freestyle final at the 19th FINA World Championships in Hungary in June.

Anna Szilagyi/AP

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Anna Szilagyi/AP

Katie Ledecky of the United States competes in the Women 800m Freestyle final at the 19th FINA World Championships in Hungary in June.

Anna Szilagyi/AP

U.S. Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky has beaten the world record for the 1,500-meter freestyle race by nearly 10 seconds.

At the Swimming World Cup in Toronto on Saturday, Ledecky clocked in at 15 minutes and eight seconds, besting the 15 minutes and 18 seconds record set by Germany’s Sarah Wellbrock in 2019.

“I knew that that record was in reach, just based on some things I’ve done in training, especially my distance stuff has felt really good this fall,” she said. “So I felt locked into a pace and fell off a little bit toward the end probably … but I held it together enough to get the job done.”

SOUND ON 🔊 Open mic for tonight’s winners! #Swimming World Cup DAY 2 👇 pic.twitter.com/2ZB4X7o3dC

— FINA (@fina1908) October 30, 2022

Ledecky, 25, has the most Olympic gold medals of any female swimmer, at seven. On Sunday, she also came close to beating the world record for the 800 meter freestyle race at eight minutes. The record is seven minutes and 59 seconds. Still, she broke the U.S. record for the event.