Katie Ledecky 1500-meter free results, final time: Star swimmer dominates signature event at 2024 Olympic team trials

Katie Ledecky stepped out of the pool and told Melissa Stark she wish she would have gone faster in her signature event. Had she done that, she would have climbed further up her own list of fastest times in world history.

Ledecky finished the 1500-meter freestyle final race at 15:37.35, good for the 19th fastest time in history. The only 18 higher than that time? They're all Ledecky.

The U.S. Olympic team trial race was a typical display of Ledecky's dominance. She led by more than a second after the first 100 meters, and the advantage only continued to climb with each lap of the pool. By the end of the race, she had a 20-second advantage over second-place finisher Katie Grimes, who came in at 15:57.77. Eighth-place finisher Mariah Denigan came in at 16:34.19, nearly a full minute behind Ledecky.

The first-place finish for Ledecky was all but a formality for the swimmer who expects to once again win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She won the inaugural edition of the race in the 2021 Tokyo Games by only four seconds to teammate Erica Sullivan. Ledecky's time in the Olympics was 15:37.34, meaning she is already just 0.01 seconds off her gold-medal winning pace.

Sporting News tracked Ledecky's performance at the 2024 1500-meter freestyle final. Follow for updates and highlights from her race.

MORE: Watch Katie Ledecky swim at the Olympic trials live with Fubo (free trial)

Women's 1500-meter free results

Katie Ledecky live updates, results, highlights from 1500-meter free

(All times Eastern)

9:02 p.m.: Ledecky easily cruises to the 1500m gold, winning the race with a time of 15:37.35, the fastest time in the world this year.

Katie Ledecky with a DOMINANT 1500m free win in Indianapolis. 🔥

Katie Grimes will join her in this event in Paris.

📺 NBC & @peacock | #SwimTrials24 pic.twitter.com/CQklctFNxJ

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 20, 2024

9 p.m.: The bell is ringing for Ledecky, signaling her final 100m. 

8:58 p.m.: Ledecky's lead is up to about 15 seconds just over 12 minutes into the race. There's a chance she winds up close to lapping swimmers in an Olympic trial final event.

8:54 p.m.: At the nine-minute mark, Ledecky has nearly a half-pool length lead on Grimes and more than that over the rest of the field.

8:50 p.m.: There's Ledecky, then there's Grimes, then there's the rest of the field. At this point, barring a stunner, those appear to be the two clear Olympians in the 1500m. It speaks to Ledecky's dominance that for as far ahead as Grimes is ahead of the rest of the field, Ledecky is further up on Grimes.

8:47 p.m.: First 200 meters, Ledecky has a 2.34-second edge on Grimes.

8:46 p.m.: Unsurprisingly, she's off to a hot start with already a half-second lead over Katie Grimes in lane five through the first 50m. Grimes will likely be the closest swimmer to Ledecky in the race.

8:45 p.m.: The race has begun.

8:43 p.m.: And to a roaring ovation, Ledecky is announced to head up to her starting block.

8:42 p.m.: The swimmers are heading up to the deck.

8:37 p.m.: Ledecky's race is up next.

8:10 p.m.: Ledecky's former Stanford teammate Simone Manuel is headed to her third Olympics, qualifying for the 4x100m free relay.

7:55 p.m.: The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach is reporting the 1500m free will be held at 8:44 p.m. ET. 

7:10 p.m.: Before the start of tonight's race, revisit her heat performance in which she dominated the field. She's looking to officially solidify her spot in the race on Wednesday.

Katie Ledecky does what she does best.

She gets the top prelim time for the women's 1500m free. 😤 #SwimTrials24 pic.twitter.com/s7NCIrVyOR

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 18, 2024

Did Katie Ledecky qualify for the Olympics?

Ledecky has already qualified for a pair of events at the Olympics: the 200m free and 400m free. She won both events in the trials, ensuring she has already qualified to race them if she so chooses.

Her time in the 200m free also means she is eligible to swim on the 4x200m free relay. There has been uncertainty as to whether she will swim the individual 200m free race or just compete in the relay at the Olympics.

How to watch Katie Ledecky at the 2024 Olympic team trials

• TV channel: NBC
• Live stream: Peacock, NBCSports.com, Fubo

Ledecky's race will be carried live on NBC. Fans can also stream it live on Peacock, NBCSports.com or Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Throughout the 2024 Olympic team trials, all heats in the morning/early afternoon will be exclusively on Peacock, while all semifinals and finals in the evening will be carried by NBC.

Katie Ledecky swimming schedule

Here's a look at when Ledecky will be swimming through the rest of the trials and how to watch her when she does compete in the events. Specific times have not been listed for her races.

Wednesday, June 19

Friday, June 21

Saturday, June 22