Swimming stars Ledecky and Walsh set new world records at the Pro Swim event.

Winning Streak: Katie Ledecky Crushes 800m Freestyle Record Again

Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky smashed her own world record in the women's 800m freestyle with an astonishing time of 8:04.12 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 3, 2025. This record-breaking swim erased her previous record of 8:04.79, set at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

Ledecky's latest swim sliced 0.67 seconds off her prior benchmark and stands as the event's second-fastest performance, making her the undisputed queen of the 800m freestyle. Her dominant reign sees her hold all top ten performances in the history of women’s 800m freestyle.

The 28-year-old's exceptional performance capped a triumphant week, marking her first break of a long-course world record since 2018. In the lead-up, Ledecky showcased her formidable prowess, posting the second-fastest 1,500m free in history on Wednesday and swimming the second-fastest 400m free of her career the following day. These impressive showings serve as a harbinger of her competitiveness at the upcoming World Championships in Singapore which commence on July 27.

Jillian Cox and Claire Weinstein finished in second and third place, respectively, with times of 8:23.58 and 8:26.06. Ledecky, invigorated by her recent accomplishments, expressed her elation, stating, "I can't stop smiling. It's been so many years in the making to do it tonight… I gave it everything I had, and I'm not letting this opportunity go to waste."

Meanwhile, American swimmer Gretchen Walsh made waves of her own in Fort Lauderdale. Walsh broke the women's 100m butterfly world record in the event's final with a jaw-dropping time of 54.60 seconds. The American shattered her own previous record of 55.09 seconds, set during the preliminaries, and improved her time by a staggering 0.49 seconds.

With their exceptional performances, both Ledecky and Walsh continue to redefine women's swimming, setting the bar high for the upcoming competitions, including the World Championships.

France's Leon Marchand, a standout performer at the Paris Olympics with four individual gold medals, found himself off the podium in Fort Lauderdale. After a stellar performance in Paris, Marchand finished second in the 200m individual medley. Despite posting a personal best in the 400m freestyle – an event he rarely swims – Marchand was ultimately Danish swimmer Shaine Casas' runner-up in the event. The TYR Pro Swim Series marked Marchand's first competition in four months, and, inspired by Ledecky and Walsh's record-breaking swims, he returned to training with renewed vigor, aiming to claim more accolades at the World Championships in Singapore.

[1] http://www.swimmingresults.com/results/eventHistory/53207/[2] http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/051512-darcan-new-sr-in-800-free-at-melbourne-shire-diving-classic/[3] https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/articles/the-event-that-catapulted-ledecky-to-stardom-is-also-her-fastest-ever-800m-free[4] https://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/katie-ledecky-olympics-rio-de-janeiro-gold-medal-water-polo-swimming-speed

Though France's Leon Marchand secured four individual gold medals at the Paris Olympics, his recent performance in the 200m individual medley at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale resulted in a second-place finish, far behind the dominance of Katie Ledecky in the women's 800m freestyle.
As India's swimming scene rarely garners international attention, the record-breaking performance of American swimmer Gretchen Walsh in the women's 100m butterfly at the same TYR Pro Swim Series, where Ledecky swam the second-fastest 800m freestyle of her career, emphasizes the pinnacle of women's swimming currently being reached.
With only a few months to go before the upcoming World Championships in Singapore, Katie Ledecky, undisputed queen of the 800m freestyle, demonstrated her training regimen's effectiveness as she led the way in numerous high-speed performances, including the second-fastest 1,500m free and 400m free swims of her career.
France's Leon Marchand, motivated by the record-breaking swims of Katie Ledecky and Gretchen Walsh at the TYR Pro Swim Series, returned to training with renewed vigor, aiming to claim more accolades at the World Championships in Singapore where the American swimmer, Katie Ledecky, will once again aim to assert her dominance over the 800m freestyle event.