(NEXSTAR/AP) — With a silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay Thursday night, Ledecky collected the 13th medal of her stellar Olympic career to become the most decorated female in swimming history.
She would’ve preferred it to be gold, but that went to an Australian squad led by gold medalists Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus.
Still, in her next-to-last event of these games, Ledecky broke the mark she shared with fellow Americans Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin and Jenny Thompson. The 27-year-old now has eight golds, four silvers and one bronze over four Olympics, with every intention of swimming on to Los Angeles in 2028.
O’Callaghan, gold medalist in the 200 freestyle, started things off for the Australians, giving them a lead they never relinquished. Lani Pallister and Briana Throssell kept the team from Down Under out front, even as Ledecky tried in vain to chase down Throssell on the third leg. When Titmus dove in on the anchor leg with the lead, it was essentially over. The winner of the 400 freestyle and silver medalist in the 200 free finished in an Olympic record of 7:38.08.
Emma Gemmell held off China to give the U.S. the silver in 7:40.86. Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden rounded out the American squad.
Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie, Ge Chutong and Liu Yaxin earned the bronze in 7:42.34.
Ledecky has one more event, the 800 freestyle. She’s the favorite for her fourth straight gold at that distance.