LOS ANGELES, March 5: US freestyle great Katie Ledecky, looking forward to the Olympic debut of the women�s 1,500m freestyle in Tokyo, clocked the fifth-fastest time ever in the event with a 15min 29.51sec at the Pro-Swim Series meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.
Ledecky, who set the world record of 15:20.48 on May 16, 2018, owns the top 10 times in the event and is the heavy favourite to take the first Olympic gold awarded at the distance for women.
�I�m really excited about it coming to the Olympics,� Ledecky said.
�Obviously I want to do really well in that event this year, so at the moment I�m really trying to set myself up well for it.�
A stomach ailment forced Ledecky out of the 1,500m free at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, where she had been slated to go for a fourth consecutive title.
She said Wednesday�s performance showed she was on track in her preparations for the US Olympic swimming trials in June and the Tokyo Games that start July 24. � AFP
