The queen of long-distance swimming returned on Wednesday to defend her crown — and she did just that.
There are many races where Katie Ledecky dominates the rest of the swimmers in the pool. The American swim sensation added another one at Paris' La Defense Arena this afternoon, cruising to a gold-medal win in the women's 1500-meter freestyle race.
It's the first gold medal for Ledecky in 2024 and second total medal in Paris, pairing with her bronze in the 400-meter freestyle. She now has eight gold medals to her name, adding to her illustrious Olympic swimming career.
The lengthy event is a specialty of the Washington, D.C. native, who won the inaugural race in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics. Ledecky once again proved she is on a level of her own when it comes to long-distance swimming, beating the field by more than 10 seconds.
MORE: Watch the Olympics live on Fubo (7-day free trial)
The Sporting News tracked Ledecky's results from the 1500-meter freestyle race in Paris.
Olympic women's 1500-meter freestyle results
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
| 1 | Katie Ledecky (USA) | 15:30.02 (OR) |
| 2 | Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (France) | 15:40.35 |
| 3 | Isabel Gose (Germany) | 15:41.16 |
| 4 | Simona Quadarella (Italy) | 15:44.05 |
| 5 | Li Bingjie (China) | 16:01.03 |
| 6 | Moesha Johnson (Australia) | 16:02.70 |
| 7 | Beatriz Dizotti (Brazil) | 16:02.86 |
| 8 | Leonie Maertens (Germany) | 16:12.57 |
Katie Ledecky updates, results, highlights from 2024 Olympics
(All times Eastern)
3:39 p.m.: More history for Ledecky, and she creeps closer and closer to breaking Jenny Thompson's all-time Olympic medal records.
MEDAL NO. 12 FOR KATIE LEDECKY COMES IN DOMINANT FASHION! 🥇
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024
Ledecky wins GOLD in the women's 1500m freestyle to make history. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/sGBFkLkQUc
3:34 p.m.: Ledecky makes history with her win in the 1500-meter race. She sets the record as the oldest U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal. Natalie Coughlin previously held the record at age 25.
Katie Ledecky, 27, shatters the record of oldest U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal. Natalie Coughlin had the record, age 25 in 2008. Ledecky is also the second-youngest U.S. woman to win individual swimming gold, age 15 in 2012 (OlyMADMen).
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) July 31, 2024
3:33 p.m.: Katie Ledecky is a flat-out animal. The American easily cruises to a first-place finish in the 1500-meter race, winning her first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and defending her win in Tokyo. She clocks in a time of 15:30.02, beating her Olympic record set in 2021. France's Anastasiia Kirpichnikkova takes silver and Germany's Isabel Close wins bronze.
Simply the greatest. 🙌
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024
Katie Ledecky adds another gold medal to her legendary career achievements.#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/skbxzj1CAj
3:29 p.m.: There is still 300 meters left, but Ledecky is going to defend her gold medal in the event. She is more than 13 meters ahead of the pack entering the final stretch.
3:26 p.m.: With just 600 meters to go, Ledecky has firm control of first place. However, Ledecky is already four seconds behind her world record pace, so a new world mark may not be set. She is a full 10 meters ahead of Quadrella and Kirpichnikova.
3:23 p.m.: It's Ledecky's world and we are all just living in it. She is already seven meters ahead of her competitors for the lead, and the world record is still within grasp with 600 meters down and 900 meters to go. Anastasiia Kirpichnikova and Simona Quadrella are still behind the leader and aren't making up the gap.
3:19 p.m.: As expected, Ledecky is cruising in the lead. The American is keeping up a better pace than her world record through the first 300 meters of the event. She still has a ways to go, but Ledecky is off to a great start.
3:17 p.m.: Here we go. The final eight of the women's 1500-meter freestyle are in the pool and off to the races.
3:14 p.m.: The swimmers are getting set to enter the swimming pool at Paris' La Defense Arena.
3:02 p.m.: It's about 10 minutes away from the women's 1500-meter freestyle final. It's the third medal event in the pool on the day, after the women's 100-meter freestyle and the men's 200-meter butterfly.
2:41 p.m.: A reminder about the 1500-meter race — when it comes to an Olympic swimming pool, 1500 meters equals 30 laps. So it's going to take quite some time before one finishes the entire swim.
2:34 p.m.: Ledecky has not yet won a gold medal in Paris. She earned a bronze earlier in the 400-meter freestyle, and has not competed in a finals since.
2:11 p.m.: While Ledecky is a major favorite to win gold, there are others who are aiming for an upset, or a medal at the very least. Italy's Simona Quadarella, China;' Li Bingjie and Australia's Lanni Pallister are all swimmers that should be contending for a spot at the podium.
1:45 p.m.: As expected, Ledecky is a massive favorite to defend her gold medal in the women's 1500-meter event. She defeated the rest of the field by at least four seconds back in Tokyo, but she flat-out dominated at the heats yesterday, winning by 17 seconds.
Women's 1500-meter final start time
- Date: Wednesday, July 31
- Time: 3:07 p.m. ET
The women's 1500-meter freestyle final at the 2024 Olympics is set to start at 2:52 p.m. ET. The race should take about 15 minutes.
How many medals has Katie Ledecky won?
Entering the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ledecky is already one of the most decorated female swimmers of all time.
Ledecky enters the games having won seven gold and three silver medals at the Olympics, while also claiming 16 FINA World Aquatics Championships gold medals and three silver medals. Her combined 23 gold medals are the most of any women's swimmer.
How many will she add in Paris? Here's how she's been doing:
| Event | Medal | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 400 Freestyle | Bronze | 4:00.86 |
| 800 Freestyle | ||
| 1500 Freestyle | ||
| 4x200 Freestyle Relay |
MORE: How Katie Ledecky has stayed on top of her sport
Katie Ledecky swim schedule
Ledecky is expected to compete in four different events. That means she will frequent television sets during the swimming portion of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She will be competing in the heats for each event, which will start at 5 a.m. ET on their scheduled mornings. The live broadcast will be carried by the USA Network, while NBC will air replays later in the afternoon.
When she swims in the finals each day, NBC will broadcast the races, starting at 2:30 p.m. each afternoon.
Those interested in streaming her races can log onto NBC platforms NBCOlympics.com, NBCSports.com, or Peacock, or watch them on Fubo.
Here is the full schedule for when Ledecky will be swimming. Times are based on the Olympics schedule.
Saturday, July 27
| Event | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 400 Freestyle Heats | 5 a.m. | USA |
| Women's 400 Freestyle Finals | 2:42 p.m. | NBC |
Tuesday, July 30
| Event | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 1500 Freestyle Heats | 5 a.m. | USA |
Wednesday, July 31
| Event | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 1500 Freestyle Finals | 3:07 p.m. | NBC |
Thursday, Aug. 1
| Event | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 4x200 Freestyle Relay Heats | 5 a.m. | USA |
| Women's 4x200 Freestyle Relay Finals | 3:49 p.m. | NBC |
Friday, Aug. 2
| Event | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 800 Freestyle Heats | 5 a.m. | USA |
Saturday, Aug. 3
| Event | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 800 Freestyle Finals | 3:08 p.m. | NBC |
How to watch Olympic swimming
- Dates: July 27-Aug. 4
- Time: 5 a.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC, USA Network
- Live stream: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, Fubo
Olympic swimming begins at 5 a.m. ET each day from July 27-Aug. 3. There will only be heats in the morning session. Every day will have an afternoon session that begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Aug. 4 is the final day of competition and will only feature an afternoon session with four final races.
Fans can tune into the swimming competitions on NBC and USA Network. Those streaming can watch via Peacock, NBCOlympics.com or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
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