Skip to Content

Katie Ledecky overtakes Michael Phelps for most individual world titles

Katie Ledecky won the women's 800m freestyle with ease.
David J. Phillip/AP
Katie Ledecky won the women's 800m freestyle with ease.

By Wayne Sterling, CNN

(CNN) — US superstar swimmer Katie Ledecky surpassed Michael Phelps for most career individual world swimming titles on Saturday after winning her 16th gold medal.

Ledecky also became the first-ever swimmer to win six consecutive world championships in the same event.

The 26-year-old earned her 16th world title after winning the 800-meter freestyle in a time of 8:08.87 at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. She defeated second-place finisher, Li Bingjie of China, by 4.44 seconds.

After the race, Ledecky reflected on her achievements.

“It’s special. I really didn’t even know I was going to achieve that until people started telling me. It’s cool,” the seven-time Olympic gold medalist said.

“I’m happy with that swim. I wanted it to be a little better, but I’ll take it. I’m really pleased with how the week went.”

On Tuesday, Ledecky tied Phelps when she dominated the 1,500-meter freestyle for her fifth world title in that event.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Article Topic Follows: Sports

Jump to comments ↓

Author Profile Photo

CNN Newsource

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KIFI Local News 8 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content