Indianapolis, Indiana – June 15: Katie Ledecky celebrates after winning the Women's 400 LC Meter … [+]
On the first day of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, Katie Ledecky qualified for the Paris Games in the 400-meter freestyle. Ledecky placed first in the 400-meter event with a time of 3:58.35, making her the athlete competing in her fourth Olympic Games. With this time, she was able to break her previous record of 3:59.99, which she set in the morning heats.
Following Ledecky, Paige Madden finished second in a personal best time of 4:02.08 to qualify for her second Olympic Games. The 25-year-old Madden qualified for the final after qualifying in 4:04.83 from lane five.
“I plan on getting a really good 400.”
Now that she's qualified, Ledecky is looking forward to making a name for herself in the longer distance events. At the 2020 Olympics, Ledecky had to settle for silver in the 400m freestyle as Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmuss overtook her to win gold. Titmuss currently holds the 400m freestyle world record (3:55.38) and placed first at the 2024 Australian Trials with a time of 3:55.44, qualifying her for the event in Paris.
Given Titmus's solid performance, Ledecky believes she will have to get “really fast” to win gold or secure a medal in the 400m freestyle while also defending her title in the other freestyle races in Paris.
In an interview, Ledecky's personal coach, Anthony Nesty, also weighed in on her progress in the 400m so far: “She's very talented. I see that all the time in practice. Personally, I think it's time for her to swim a really good 400m. She's had good runs the last two years, but not at the level she wants to compete at. I think it's time for her to do well in the 400m,” Nesty told The Washington Post.
As well as the 400m, Ledecky is aiming to compete in three other events at the Trials, including the 1,500m, 800m freestyle (in which she will be defending her Tokyo 2020 title) and the 200m freestyle.
Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results
Indianapolis, Indiana – June 15: American sprinter Aaron Shackel reacts after the men's 400m race … [+]
On the first night of the trials, four winners were selected for the U.S. team from the 400-meter freestyle. In the men's final, 19-year-old Aaron Shackell took the lead in the final 50 meters to become the first swimmer to book a spot in Paris. Shackell, who has committed to returning to Carmel before the 2024 season, finished in 3:45.46 in his first final at the trials. He was followed by Tokyo bronze medalist Ciaran Smith, who took second in 3:45.76.
“Winning a medal in front of a big crowd is something I always dreamed about. It's something every kid dreams about. I was soaking in the moment. When my sister told me she was going to be an Olympian, it was probably the best moment of my life,” Shackell said in an interview after the race.
Interestingly, Ledecky's training partner, Bobby Finke, missed out on winning this event. The two-time Olympic medalist touched the wall in fourth place (3:46.27) behind David Johnston (3:46.19). However, Finke has yet to compete in the 800m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle, where he will be attempting to defend his titles, on June 18 and 23, respectively.
