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Katie Ledecky, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, recently spoke to USA Today about her plans to defend her 800-meter freestyle title in Paris. This comes after 17-year-old Summer McIntosh ended Ledecky's 13-year win streak in the 800m freestyle at the Southern Zone South Sectional Finals meet held in Orlando in February.
Regarding her preparation, Katie Ledecky remarked (via USA Today):
“I feel good about where I’m at. I’m doing everything I can in training, just trying to string a lot of good weeks together.”
According to reports, Ledecky will be representing USA in the Paris Olympics this year, and she is striving hard to succeed. However, Ledecky will face a strong challenge from other competitors such as Summer McIntosh in the Paris Olympics in August 2024.
Katie Ledecky continued about the expectations placed on her by others, saying:
"I know I have to be at the top of my game in a couple months (at the U.S. Olympic trials in June)."
At an Orlando sectional meet, McIntosh finished nearly six seconds ahead of Ledecky, making history for being the second-fastest female in the course of the demanding event that Ledecky has ruled.
The younger athlete beat her earlier best time by around 9 seconds, finishing in eight minutes and 11.39 seconds. McIntosh's time was quicker than Ledecky's mark of 8:12.57 set at the Tokyo Olympics.
Ledecky is a seven-time gold medalist at the Olympics and holds 16 world records. In the 2019 World Championships, she defeated Leah Smith in the opening heat of the 800-meter event but lost to her in the final.
Katie Ledecky is the current six-time world champion in the same event, but she did not take part in the February 11-14 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
McIntosh had already put a halt to Katie Ledecky's lengthy winning streak in 2023
In November 2023, Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh defeated seven-time Olympic swimming gold medallist Katie Ledecky in the women's 400m final at the U.S. Open Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Both McIntosh and Ledecky train in Florida. After skipping the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar's capital, this divisional meet provided them with an opportunity to compete again.
At the U.S. national championships in Indianapolis last summer, Katie Ledecky recorded a stunning performance of 8:07.07, which was her quickest time since breaking the world record. Both the swimmers will look to set new records in the Paris Olympics this year in 2024.
