Katie Ledecky swam to even more history on Day 8 of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Team USA star captured her fourth straight Olympic title in the women's 800m freestyle event. Ledecky won Saturday's final in 8:11.04, fending off reigning silver medalist and second-place finisher Ariarne Titmus of Australia (8:12.29).
American Paige Madden came in third (8:13.00) to earn her second medal of the Paris Games and third overall.
Ledecky, 27, joined Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to ever win Olympic gold four times in the same event. And with nine total gold medals, Ledecky is now tied with swimmer Mark Spitz, track star Carl Lewis, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi for second-most in Olympic history.
Only Phelps, who claimed 23 Olympic golds in his legendary career, owns more.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself," Ledecky said. “I'm just really happy that I could get the job done.
“I knew that it was gonna be a tough race and I felt confident coming into it. But I knew it was going to be tough no matter what, all the way down to the finish. So I just had to stick in the race, trust myself, trust my training, trust that I know the hungry side of that. And, yeah, I am just kind of relieved.”
Ledecky will leave Paris with a four-medal haul, bringing her career total up to 14. She won gold in the 800m and 1500m freestyles, silver in the 4x200m relay and bronze in the 400m free, becoming the most-decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time in the process.
The focus now shifts toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where Ledecky will have a chance to continue to add to her legacy on home soil -- should she compete.
“I’d love to (compete in 2028), but it’s not easy,” Ledecky said. “I’ll take it year by year, and give it everything I’ve got for as long as I have left in me.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
