"It hurt a lot but I'm really happy with the outcome" - Katie Ledecky takes pride in matching Michael Phelps' record at World Aquatics Championships

USA swimmer Katie Ledecky’s 15th individual world title at the World Athletics Championship has successfully tied her with Michael Phelps for most career individual world swimming titles. Undoubtedly, the remarkable achievement has made Ledecky feel supremely proud of herself.

On Tuesday, Ledecky dominated the 1500m event at the World Athletics Championship in Fukuoka, Japan. The Maryland swimmer clocked an impressive time of 15 minutes and 26.27 seconds, achieving her fifth world title in the 1,500m event.

Nevertheless, the world was stunned to see Ledecky touching the finishing line way before other swimmers. For her fans and spectators, it was a stunning display of her swimming prowess.

Moreover, she won the event by just 17.04 seconds, against silver medallist Simona Quadarella (15 minutes and 43.31 seconds) and bronze medallist Li Bingjie (15 minutes and 45.71 seconds). With this, she became the first woman to win 20 world titles, including her five team gold medals.

Katie Ledecky, Simona Quadarella, and Li Bingjie at Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships

Indeed, Ledecky’s achievement has made her feel proud of herself and her journey so far. She expressed her feelings about the Olympics:

"I feel good. It hurt a lot, but I'm really happy with the outcome. Just having a lot of fun this week. It's just a lot of hard work and really great people around me – my coaches ever since I started swimming since I was six, and my really great teammates," Ledecky said.

Furthermore, she expressed her pride at matching the legendary Michael Phelps’s individual gold medals record.

"It's an honour. I've known Michael for many years now, looked up to him as a little kid. We're both from Maryland. Just never really imagined I would be in this position. It's always an honour to win a medal for Team USA, especially gold. Just going to keep going and continue to do my best every time I race," Ledecky stated.

Phelps won his first individual gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics at the men’s 400m IM. On the other hand, Katie Ledecky achieved her first at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women’s 800m freestyle.

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Katie Ledecky's performance at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship so far

Silver medallist Katie Ledecky, gold medallist Ariarne Titmus, and bronze medallist Erika Fairweather at Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships

Before Ledecky’s remarkable win in the 1500m freestyle event, she competed in the 400m freestyle in a star-studded race against swimmers Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.

In a neck-and-neck race, the 22-year-old Titmus emerged victorious at the championship, beating competitors Ledecky and McIntosh. While she clinched the first place with a time frame of 3 minutes, 55.38 seconds, Ledecky achieved the second place, clocking a time of 3:58.73.

However, after the 400m and 1500m events, Katie Ledecky will next appear at the 800m event at the World Aquatics Championships next week.