Katie Ledecky breaks the world record for the 1,500-meter race by nearly 10 seconds

NPR | By Ayana Archie

Published October 31, 2022 at 5:16 AM EDT

Katie Ledecky wins the 1500 meter freestyle in world record time at the World Cup short course swimming day two finals at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto on Oct. 29.

Updated October 31, 2022 at 12:28 PM ET

U.S. Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky has beaten the world record for the 1,500-meter "short course" freestyle race by nearly 10 seconds. What's more, Ledecky finished the race 40 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

At the Swimming World Cup in Toronto on Saturday, Ledecky clocked in at 15 minutes and 8 seconds, besting the 15 minutes and 18 seconds record set by Germany's Sarah Wellbrock in 2019.

"I knew that that record was in reach, just based on some things I've done in training, especially my distance stuff has felt really good this fall," she said. "So I felt locked into a pace and fell off a little bit toward the end probably ... but I held it together enough to get the job done."

SOUND ON 🔊 Open mic for tonight's winners! #Swimming World Cup DAY 2 👇 pic.twitter.com/2ZB4X7o3dC
— FINA (@fina1908) October 30, 2022

The "short course" competition is done in a 25-meter pool, as opposed to the typical 50-meter pool.

Ledecky, 25, has the most Olympic gold medals of any female swimmer, at seven. On Sunday, she also came close to beating the world record for the 800 meter "short course" freestyle race at 8 minutes. The record is 7 minutes and 59 seconds. Still, she broke the U.S. record for the event.