Katie Ledecky 800 free record: Swimming legend breaks multiple marks with 7th-consecutive World Championship gold

Katie Ledecky is considered arguably the best women's swimmer of all-time, and she continued her dominance at the World Championships on Saturday.

Ledecky won the gold in the 800-meter freestyle, marking her record-breaking seventh consecutive win in that event at the World Championships. She broke her own record of six-straight golds that she set in the 1500-meter freestyle earlier this week. Sarah Sjöström of Sweden also won six straight golds at the World Championships in the 50-meter butterfly from 2015-24.

Ledecky's streak dates back to 2013, when she competed in her first World Championships at 16, as she has never finished in anything other than first in the event.

Katie Ledecky 800 free record race

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2025

"It's been a really great season, and I think coming into tonight, no matter what the outcome was, I was gonna be really happy with my season," Ledecky said, via NBC. "And I think I just took the pressure off and allowed me to enjoy the race and kind of appreciate that moment."

Despite competing as the oldest player in the event, Ledecky came away on top and defeated a field led by Summer McIntosh, a three-time Olympic gold medalist who is a decade younger than Ledecky.

The American legend ended up swimming the fourth-fastest time in 800-meter freestyle history (8:05.62), a list in which she has 14 of the top 16 times. While her latest time was not a world record, it was a World Championships record.

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 2, 2025

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How old is Katie Ledecky?

Ledecky is 28, which made her the oldest swimmer to compete in the World Championships 800 free event in 2025. 

How many gold medals does Katie Ledecky have?

Ledecky is one of the most-decorated swimmers of all-time, as she has nine Olympic gold medals and 23 gold medals at the World Championships. Of those 32 gold medals, 13 have come in the 800-meter freestyle, as no swimmer has beaten her in the event at either the Olympics or World Championships.

Overall, she has medaled 44 times between the Olympics and the World Championships since her first Olympics appearance in 2012.