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Ledecky sets short-course 800m free world record

US swimmer Katie Ledecky reacts after setting a short course world record in the 800m freestyle at a World Cup meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. ©AFP

Los Angeles (AFP) - Katie Ledecky broke the 800m freestyle short course world record on Saturday at the FINA World Cup meeting in Indianapolis, her second world mark in a one-week span.

The US freestyle great clocked 7min 57.42 at the World Cup event in Indiana, breaking the previous record of 7:59.34 set in 2013 by Spain's Mireia Belmonte.

Ledecky had opened her season at the World Cup stop in Toronto last weekend, where she shattered the 1,500m freestyle short course record with a time of 15:08.24sec.

That sliced almost 10 seconds off the previous mark of 15:18.01 set by Germany's Sarah Wellbrock in 2019 in Berlin.

Ledecky, owner of seven Olympic gold medals and 19 world titles, set the long course world record in the 1,500m free of 15:20.48 in 2018 at Indianapolis.

She set the 800m free long course world record of 8:04.79 at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and already owned the 28 fastest long course 800m free times ever recorded.

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