"Is Katie Ledecky washed?";"This isn't her main event"- Fans react as American settles for bronze in 400m freestyle at Paris Olympics

Katie Ledecky added the first feather of the Paris Olympics to her hat by winning her first medal on day 1 of the event. She claimed the bronze medal in the 400m freestyle event and has garnered divided reactions from her fans from all over the world.

Ledecky is a former world record holder of the 400m freestyle and won gold and silver medals in the event at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games, respectively. She had to settle for bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics as she clocked a time of 4:00.86. Ariarne Titmus secured first place by posting 3:57.49, and the silver was nabbed by the Canadian swimmer, Summer McIntosh, who touched the finish line 0.88s behind Titmus.

NBC Olympics posted Ledecky's first podium finish of the Paris Olympics on X, which garnered divided opinions from fans.

One of the fans, impressed with Ledecky's swim in the 400m freestyle event, commented:

"Yall. That isn't her main event and she still places. Chillll!"

On the contrary, another fan questioning the American's skills wrote:

"Is Katie Ledecky washed?"

Another admirer of the swimmer supported her amidst the criticism of winning a bronze medal:

"This isn't even her event and people are calling her washed😭"

One of the fans questioned the hype around Katie Ledecky and commented:

"Y'all had me all hyped for her like she was going to beat everyone but here we are. Congratulations on bronze though!!"

One of the swimmer's admirers supported her and said:

"YES!! First of many more to come!! Let's Gooooo Katie!!"

Along similar lines, another fan expressed:

"Way to go Katie!! Absolutely amazing!"

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What was Katie Ledecky's expectation from the 400m freestyle ahead of the Paris Olympics

Before competing in the 400m freestyle event on day 1 of the Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky opened up about her expectations for the event in an interview with USA Today. She said that she felt like she was ready to compete and give her best shot. She planned to deliver a "great race" in the event.

"I like my chances but that’s me. I feel like I’m prepared and ready to race and that’s all you can ask for," Katie Ledecky said. "I’m going to give it my best shot. It’s obviously a great field, top to bottom, lots of people that have a chance so I’m just going to put up a great race in the morning and at night and see where that lands me."

The 27-year-old has had a stellar career in the 400m freestyle event, having set the world record in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics by posting a time of 3:56.46. This mark was untouched for six years; however, Ariarne Titmus surpassed it in May 2022.