What has for long been considered a formality has now become reality.
Katie Ledecky, the greatest women’s distance swimmer in history, secured the top spot on the U.S. women’s side in the 800m freestyle, winning the event with a time of 8 minutes, 14.12 seconds.
In every Olympics since 2012, Ledecky has not just featured in the race — she has won every edition of it. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist is the current world record holder in the race, set in 2016 with a time of 8:04.79.
The trials victory for Ledecky was dominant, as one would expect from past performances. She beat Paige Madden by more than six seconds. Madden was ahead of third-place Jillian Cox by just 2.26 seconds.
The race is now on for Paris. Ledecky’s cruise-control victory sets up perhaps the most anticipated race in the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, Canada’s Summer McIntosh and Ledecky all vying for the gold medal.
Sporting News tracked live results and highlights from Ledecky’s 800-meter freestyle race at the 2024 Olympic trials. Follow for updates from Saturday’s race.
MORE: Watch Katie Ledecky swim the 800-meter free live with Fubo (free trial)
Women’s 800-meter free results
PlaceSwimmerTime1Katie Ledecky8:14.122Paige Madden8:20.713Jillian Cox8:22.974Aurora Roghair8:28.595Rachel Stege8:28.776Kate Hurst8:28.927Claire Weinstein8:29.88Ashley Twichell8:32.75
Katie Ledecky live updates, results, highlights from 800-meter free
(All times Eastern)
8:49 p.m.: Ledecky has a final time of 8:14.12, more than six seconds over Madden.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 23, 2024
8:48 p.m.: Ledecky has won by a massive lead yet again. She has to wait a few seconds until Madden finishes second.
8:45 p.m.: Ledecky is still only up by three seconds on Madden, but she’s maintaining that comfortable advantage for what is all but guaranteed to be a win.
8:42 p.m.: The advantage keeps growing for Ledecky as she’s up to a three-second advantage through 300 meters. She’s already running away with the race.
8:40 p.m.: Ledecky is already up almost two seconds on Paige Madden after the first 100 meters. Already starting to build up an impressive lead.
8:39 p.m.: And the 800m free has begun.
8:34 p.m.: Ledecky is just about ready to race in her final event of the 2024 Olympic trials. She’s a heavy favorite in the 800m free.
8:22 p.m.: The 50m free semifinals are over. Next up is the women’s 200m IM final before it’s Ledecky time.
7:30 p.m.: Expect tonight’s race to start around 8:39 p.m. ET, according to the Olympic Trials heat sheet. Ledecky, coming in with by far the best time in the field, will be in lane four.
Did Katie Ledecky qualify for the Olympics?
Ledecky is three-for-three so far in winning Olympic races. She won the freestyle events at 200m, 400m and 1500m, ensuring she has qualified as the top American swimmer in each of them.
Though Ledecky qualified in the 200m free, she said she’s likely to compete in the 4x200m free relay rather than the individual edition of the race. Here’s a look at her results so far in the Olympics.
EventPlaceTime200m free1st1:55.22400m free1st3:58.35800m free1st8:14.121500m free1st15:37.35
How to watch Katie Ledecky at the 2024 Olympic team trials
TV channel: NBCLive stream: Peacock, NBCSports.com, Fubo
Ledecky will be swimming her final race Saturday night. It will be carried live on NBC.
Those hoping to stream the race can find it on Peacock, NBCSports.com or on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
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