BTN News: Katie Ledecky proved to be in a class by herself yet again on Monday night at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, as she won the women’s 1500m free and secured her spot on Team USA for the Paris Olympics later this summer. In front of a record audience of 22,209 spectators that had swelled around the poolside for purely to watch Ledecky race this was a display of an extraordinary talent on top of steel determination.
Ledecky’s 1500m win was as dominant as it gets. Finishing in 15:37.35, she led from the start and remained well clear of the field for most of the race. She has now qualified for three freestyle events for the US Olympic team so far, following wins in the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle earlier in the week.
Looking back at her swim, Ledecky was pleased but not content. Despite the comfortable win, she identified areas in which shedding a few semaphores would help her go for gold at the Paris Games next year.
Ledecky said, “I thought there would be some faster times but Anthony Nesty is always reminding us to not get greedy. Glad to have gotten the job done tonight. It was steady and I could keep in the same pace without loosing anything.
Katie Grimes touched second to finish on 15:57.77, a solid time behind Ledecky. Grimes, who was already in the mix for two events, which includes her victory in the women’s 400-meter individual medley earlier in the trials, now closes with the 1,500m freestyle. She also claimed a Games quota in open water swimming for the Paris Games at last year’s event, highlighting her all-around abilities in the sport.
In the packed Lucas Oil Stadium however, one stand out performance included Kate Douglass who won the 100m freestyle with a timely time of 52.56. As a result of that win, not only did she book her place in the individual event but also sealed her spot in the US 4x100m relay team for Paris. Douglass, Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh were met with a standing ovation as they entered the Games accompanied by veteran Simone Manuel.
This moment was especially bittersweet for Manuel. Her struggles in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics gave way to joy and success in her work with coach Bob Bowman. Looking back at it, Manuel is thankful for the encouragement that relit a flame and pushed her to continue.
“It means everything to me. Manuel told the audience: “This journey has taught me so much about resilience and finding joy in what I do. Meanwhile, Bakal says that they have all made significant progress and are looking forward to the next.
With the trials over at Lucas Oil Stadium, we can look ahead toward this incredible group of athletes competing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. They personify the very essence of the Olympic ideal and spirit, in victory and personal triumph.
