Katie Ledecky was beaten in the 200m freestyle by Italy’s Federica Pellegrini on Wednesday evening in Budapest, falling short in her bid to become only the second female swimmer to win six golds at a single world championships.
Australia’s Emma McKeon got off to a blazing start, but Ledecky was right on her shoulder as they made the final flip. Then, Pellegrini surged to the front and touched first in 1 minute, 54.73 seconds. The 20-year-old from Maryland finished in 1:55.18, tying for the silver medal with McKeon.
Pellegrini, the 28-year-old world-record holder, avenged a close defeat at the hands of Ledecky two years ago in Kazan, Russia. As the Italian covered her mouth in delight and climbed atop a lane rope to celebrate, Ledecky merely stared at the scoreboard.
Ledecky had been 12 of 12 over the last three championships, including three golds in Budapest. But her most audacious schedule yet – six freestyle events covering distances ranging from 100m (as part of a relay team) to 1500m (the grueling metric mile) – finally caught up with her along the banks of the Danube.
The silver means she won’t match Missy Franklin’s female record of six gold medals at the 2013 worlds.
Ledecky had been a perfect 17 for 17 in individual events in major international competitions, including the Olympics, worlds and Pan Pacs, before Wednesday’s setback.
