Katie Ledecky makes it 8 wins in US Olympic Swimming Trials 2021

Six-time Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky created another record when she won the 800m freestyle qualifier at the US Olympic Swimming Trials 2021. This was her eighth victory at the US Olympic Swimming Trials 2021. With this, Katie Ledecky now has more victories at trials than any other female swimmer in history.

Earlier, the 24-year-old had won the 200m freestyle title at the US Olympic Swimming Trials 2021, clocking 1:55:11. Shortly after her win, she made her first appearance at the 1,500m freestyle event. But the champion swimmer showed no signs of nerves as she dominated the race with a time of 15:40:50.

“It was a fine swim, I thought I would do better given how well my prelims swim felt. I have learned how to manage my own expectations and tried to take it one swim at a time and not compare myself to my past,” Katie Ledecky said after her win.

What made Katie Ledecky's win in the 800m freestyle qualifier even sweeter was the fact that she was joined on the US Olympic team by 15-year-old Katie Grimes, who stormed home to finish second.

Katie Ledecky focussed on making her mark in Tokyo

Nine years ago, when Katie Ledecky, as a 15-year-old had participated in the 2012 London Olympics, she was the youngest member of the whole the 2012 US Olympic contingent. Ledecky was in London because she had won her first swim trial in 2012.

READ: Swimming sensation Katie Ledecky all set to conquer Tokyo Olympics

Katie is on her way to her third Olympic appearance. She will now be representing the US in four individual events, plus at least one relay.

With the qualifications out of her way, the Olympic champion is now focusing on training.

"I’m very eager ot get back into training, I know I need a really big block here. I think we know what the next steps are, and I’ll talk to (coach) Greg (Meehan) this week. But mission accomplished," Katie Ledecky said to reporters.

Katie Ledecky has also dominated the world championships. She is the swimmer with the most individual-event titles among females. Across four world championships, she is yet to settle for a bronze. The ace swimmer has bagged 15 golds and 3 silvers in that time frame. She also holds the world record in the 800m, 1500m, and 400m freestyle events.

Freestyle is Katie Ledecky's forte. Make her swim a freestyle event of any length, alone or with her team, and she won't disappoint!