TOKYO — Katie Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle for the third straight Summer Games on Saturday, finishing her signature event in 8 minutes, 12.57 seconds at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The 24-year-old has dominated the race like no other woman since she first captured gold at the London Olympics in 2012 and introduced herself to the world. She has recorded the 25 fastest times in history and 31 of the top 32 times.
The 800 freestyle provided the third battle this week between Australian sensation Ariarne Titmus and Ledecky. Titmus edged Ledecky in the 400 freestyle and won handily in the 200 freestyle, when Ledecky fell to fifth. But the American got the better of Titmus, who finished second, this time around, edging her by a little over a second.
