Katie Ledecky, 800m world champion from start to finish in the best final of the century

The adage goes that a thoroughbred with the heart of a champion wins from the first meter to the last. Just like the great Secetariat won. With character. That's how Katie Ledecky won her first 800m at the Olympic Games, in 2012, at the age of 15. That's how she won her seventh 800m final at a world championship this Saturday in Singapore. With a display of bravery. Without speculating. Without being intimidated when she had reason to fear the unthinkable: losing a great 800m race after 13 years of unbeaten runs and 32 medals between the Games and World Championships. All in all, the weight of medal number 33 didn't outweigh the glory.

More harassed than ever before in her life, Ledecky found herself pursued from the first stroke by two challengers capable of matching her times. Canadian Summer McIntosh, the most complete swimmer on the planet, and Australian Lani Pallister, lay in her wake like predators waiting for an accident. For 700 meters, they marched at world-record pace. All three of them. Nailing strokes and splits. Flips and underwater dives. They seemed like components of a single machine. Ledecky first, Pallister second, McIntosh third. From lap to lap, they delivered a devastating cadence. Physically and, above all, mentally.

In the whirlwind of emotions, Ledecky shouldered the entire load. She swam in front. She exerted the most effort. In her wake, on her wave, the other two contenders climbed to save energy while waiting for the slam. As in cycling, in swimming, fluid dynamics decisively determine the energy expenditure of each member of the pack, depending on their position. Pallister and McIntosh stuck to the conservative ambush plan, while Ledecky decided not to give an inch: she didn't mind taking up all the water while the other two rode her wave. Ledecky bolstered her spirits by feeling like a leader.

After the 650m turn, Fred Vergnoux, McIntosh's coach, signaled to her, running along the side of the pool and waving his hands: it was time to attack. The 18-year-old Canadian accelerated. She mobilized her feet with two kick cycles per stroke, a motor that physiologically only she can activate with such power. For a few meters, maybe 20, she was ahead. With a length and a half left, Ledecky also kicked her legs. She held on to the water for dear life with every touch. She regained the lead in an unprecedented display of power and pride. That moment alone made the 800m freestyle final in Singapore one of the most memorable races in the history of swimming.

“I’m no longer afraid of losing”

Ledecky touched the final plate in 8 minutes 5.82 seconds. Better than her record set in May of 8 minutes 4.12 seconds. An exceptional mark, in any case: the fifth-fastest time in history. Pallister followed the leader in 8 minutes 5.98 seconds, and, delayed, stiff, frustrated by her rival's resistance and the pressure she had imposed on herself, two seconds slower than her time at the Canadian trials , McIntosh arrived: 8 minutes 7.29 seconds.

“Summer and Lani made it really tough for me,” said Ledecky, exhausted, almost out of breath, doubled over in pain, her cheeks hollow as the cheerleader brought the microphone to her as she exited the pool. “Luckily, my legs held up in the last 100. I knew this final would be my toughest 800. I tried to enjoy it as much as I could. At this point in my career, I wasn't afraid of losing anymore.”

The champion hugged Pallister as soon as the race concluded. Deep in water up to their necks, with the lane line between them, they congratulated each other on the trip. When she turned to congratulate McIntosh, the Canadian didn't. She remained for a while with her forehead against the wall, motionless, clutching the rail, staring into space, aware that she hadn't been able to manage her emotions. After defeating Ledecky in the 400m freestyle on the first day of a championship in which she had aimed to become the first woman to win five world gold medals in a single edition, she was so eager to win the 800m, the most sacred terrain for the queen of the distance, that the tension consumed her reserves. She couldn't withstand the pull of the last 50m. The threshold that separates the best from the great Secretariat.

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