Katie Ledecky has 14 out of the top 15 fastest women’s 1500m freestyle swims to her name

Katie Ledecky, who has seven Olympic golds and 19 World Championship titles, is the greatest female swimmer of all time. The 25-year-old American swimmer specializes in long-distance swimming, especially the 800-meter and 1500-meter swims.

Her dominance in the sport can be backed by facts and figures, setting aside any sort of luck associated with medal-winning swims. Ledecky, who swam in the 2023 Pro Swim Series in Knoxville and won the women’s 1500 freestyle with a time of 15:37.99, now owns the top 14 spots in the top 15 fastest 1500 list. Her latest outing contributed to this by taking the 14th place. Here is the list of the fastest female 1500-meter swims:

1. Ledecky - 15:20.48 - 2018 Pro Swim Series
2. Ledecky - 15:25.48 - 2015 World Championships
3. Ledecky - 15:27.71 - 2015 World Championships
4. Ledecky - 15:28.36 - 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
5. Ledecky - 15:29.51 - 2020 Pro Swim Series
6. Ledecky - 15:30.15 - 2022 World Championships
7. Ledecky - 15:31.82 - 2017 World Championships
8. Ledecky - 15:34.23 - 2014 TWST Invite
9. Ledecky - 15:35.35 - 2021 Olympics
10. Ledecky - 15:35.65 - 2017 Pro Swim Series
11. Ledecky - 15:35.98 - 2019 US Open
12. Ledecky - 15:36.53 - 2013 World Championships
13. Ledecky - 15:37.34 - 2021 Olympics
14. Ledecky - 15:37.99 - 2023 Pro Swim Series
15. Lotte Friis - 15:38.88 - 2013 World Championships

Katie Ledecky competes in the Women's 1500m Freestyle Final during the Toyota U.S. Open Championships

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Ledecky at the 2023 Pro Series

On Day 1 of the 2023 Pro Series in Knoxville, Ledecky marked her first gold medal of the year, finishing first in the women's 200 freestyle with a time of 1:55.47. On the same day, she swam in the 400 IM, an event that she usually stays away from internationally, and finished second behind Katie Grimes by less than one-fifth of a second.

Top 15 fastest swims in the female 1500-meter freestyle (Image via Twitter/(@SwimmingStats by SwimSwam)

On the third day of the meet, she won her second gold in the 400-meter freestyle, beating second-place finisher Bella Sims by more than eight seconds. Her 14th fastest swim in the 1500-meter freestyle saw her win her third gold of the meet on Day 4, where the promising Katie Grimes finished behind Ledecky by more than 40 seconds.

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Ledecky's career so far

Aged 15, the American swimmer won her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 while swimming for the United States in the 800-meter freestyle at the games in London. Soon after, she made her professional debut and came out of the 2013 World Championships with four titles in the 400, 800, 1500-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle.

Katie Ledecky of the United States reacts after winning the Women's 800m Freestyle Final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games

Ledecky quickly established her name on the professional stage and now holds 19 World Championship gold medals, making her the most successful female professional swimmer in history.

Moreover, Ledecky managed to win seven Olympic gold medals, the latest of which she won in the 800 and 1500-meter freestyle at the 2020 games in Tokyo.