Nov 6, 2022 - Sports

Katie Ledecky smashes second world record in week

Erin Doherty

Katie Ledecky reacts after setting a world record in the Women's 800m Freestyle final at Indiana University Natatorium on November 05, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. — Katie Ledecky at the FINA Swimming World Cup 2022 at Indiana University on Nov. 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Women's swimming phenom Katie Ledecky broke the women's record in the 800m on Saturday, one week after taking down the 1,500m short-course record.

Driving the news: Ledecky broke the previous record for the 800m, held by Spain's Mireia Belmonte, by nearly two seconds at the FINA World Cup in Indianapolis.

Ledecky, 25, swam a time of 7:57.42, beating Belmonte’s previous record of 7:59.34 from 2013.
"I pushed myself a lot after last week," Ledecky said, per FINA. "It’s great to have all these fans here to cheer us on."

The big picture: Ledecky has won three Olympic gold medals and four world championships in the 800 meters.

"Honestly most of that emotion was just because it hurt a lot so when something hurts that much you want to see a great result like that," Ledecky said last weekend after breaking the 1,500-meter record by almost 10 seconds.
"I felt good and very pleased with the outcome in both that and the 200m."
Ledecky has won 10 Olympic medals, including seven gold medals — the most of any female swimmer, NPR reports.

Go deeper... Katie Ledecky wins gold in first women's 1500m freestyle

Editor’s note: Erin Doherty, the author of this story, briefly swam on the same youth team as Katie Ledecky.

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Katie Ledecky smashes second world record in week

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