Regan Smith drops 4 word reaction for Katie Ledecky after her world record-breaking feat at TYR Pro Series

Regan Smith reacted to Katie Ledecky's world record-breaking feat at the TYR Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale. Ledecky clocked 8:04.12 to improve the previous mark of 8:04.79 from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Katie Ledecky, who became the most decorated female swimmer in history with her remarkable trajectory, participated in her fourth Games at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She clinched the 800m and 1500m freestyle wins, breaking the Olympic record in the latter event. Opening her 2025 season at the TYR Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale, the 28-year-old clocked 15:24.51 in the women's 1500m free to win in the distance.

After stamping her authority, she took the pool for the 800m freestyle on May 3, 2025, soaring past rivals to clinch the win and break the world record in 8:04.12. The four-time Olympian lowered her previous record of 8:04.79 she held since the 2016 Rio Games.

Ledecky's stellar performance drew a reaction from her fellow American, Regan Smith. The latter shared the news on her Instagram story and wrote:

"One for the ages"

Regan Smith reacted to Katie Ledecky's world record feat; Instagram - @regansmith4

Smith was also a part of the TYR Pro Swim series at Fort Lauderdale, winning the 100m backstroke event in 57.46s to record the seventh-fastest time ever. The long course 100m backstroke world record holder won two relay golds in 4x100m medley and 4x100m mixed medley at the Paris Olympics and continued her excellence at the Short Course World Championships, winning four golds, two silvers, and a third-place finish.

Katie Ledecky shed light on her 400m freestyle last-minute win at the TYR Pro Swim series in Fort Lauderdale

Ledecky at the Today Show Gallery of Olympians - (Source: Getty)

Katie Ledecky emerged as a formidable competitor in the 400m free event at the TYR Pro Swim series. She shared the line-up with fellow stunner, Summer McIntosh of Canada, and raced to victory after initially trailing the latter. After the 300m mark, Ledecky went strong and picked pace, defeating her younger counterpart by 1.47s.

Reflecting on the race, the 28-year-old said (via Kyle Sockwell on X):

"I don't know If I ever thought I was to be 3:56 again, like it just wasn't even in my head for tonight for sure."

She further added:

"So I mean, all credit to Summer [for the head start], she's always a great swimmer."

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The nine-time Olympic gold medalist holds the women's 800m and 1500m freestyle world records and fastest times in the 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard free feats.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder