Katie Ledecky crushed the competition in the 800 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Saturday.

Ledecky clocked a time of 8:14.62, finishing five seconds ahead of the field. Her win in the 800 free secured Ledecky her fourth individual Olympic event, qualifying in the 200, 400, and 1,500 as well.

Fifteen-year-old Katie Grimes also booked her ticket to Tokyo, finishing second in the 800 free behind Ledecky at 8:20.36. Grimes shared an emotional embrace with her parents before joining Ledecky in the post-race interview, where the veteran passed the baton to the young phenom, stating Grimes was “the now” of the sport.

Whether or not she’ll admit it, Katie Ledecky has heard the noise from down under.

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus fired a warning shot earlier this week, unleashing a 3:56.90 to rattle Ledecky’s world record of 3:56.46 set at the Rio Olympics. It marks the second-fastest time in history.

The fastest Ledecky has been this year – and in a while – has been 3:59.25, set back in April at the Mission Viejo Pro Swim. At the US trials, Ledecky touched in at a 4:01.27 to punch her ticket to Tokyo and make the Olympic team. But it was hardly the warning shot that Titmus sent a couple of days earlier. 

“I thought I’d go a little faster than that, so I was a little surprised,” Ledecky said after the race. “I’ll take it for now.”

While never one to be considered an underdog, Ledecky could very well find herself in the position in both the 200 and 400 freestyles come Tokyo.

“[Ledecky’s] not going to have it all her own way,” Titmus told the Sydney Morning Herald after her own 400 freestyle. “I can’t control what she does, if I do the best I can and put myself in the position to win a gold medal, it’s going to be a tough race.” 

Titmus beat Ledecky in the 400 freestyle at the 2019 World Championships. But that race has been marked by an asterisk, as Ledecky was ill at that meet and wound up missing races. Many dismissed it as a one-time thing.

But Titmus has only gotten faster since then, with her latest time in the event being 1.86 seconds faster than her personal best at those worlds. She then proved her swim in the 400 freestyle wasn’t a fluke by coming within hundredths of the longest-standing women’s world record, set by Frederica Pellegrini in the “super-suit” era, in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.09.  

Ledecky, however, has not given much thought to what’s been going on at the Australian trials.

“I’m not going to be checking results every couple hours or anything,” she said Saturday. “The medals aren’t given this week, so I don’t think we have to get too caught up in what times people are going here versus anywhere else in the world right now.”

Two nights down, two more members of the US Olympic Team.

Torri Huske backed up her night one performance in the 100 fly, breaking her own freshly-minted American Record in the final with a time of 55.66 to punch her ticket to the Olympic Games next month. 

The time puts her second in the world this year and she remains the third-fastest performer in history. 

Second-place finisher Claire Curzan will likely head to Tokyo as well, besting Kate Douglass with a time of 56.43. 

Katie Ledecky officially secured her place in Tokyo in the 400 freestyle, touching in with a time of 4:01.27. She was two seconds faster at the Mission Viejo Pro Swim in April, and even said she thought she had gone faster, but regardless did what she needed to do to make her third Olympic team.

Paige Madden, a three-time individual NCAA champion this past season, took a full second off of her personal best to notch a 4:04.86 and likely make it to Tokyo.

World Record holder Lily King cruised to the top spot in a time of 1:04.72. That time is faster than she was four years ago in Rio, when she swam a 1:04.93 to win gold. 

Her teammate Annie Lazor was equally pumped after clocking in at 1:05.37 to post a best time and the second-fastest time in the world this year.

Lydia Jacoby, who is just 17 years old and came home faster than anyone else in the field, clocked in at 1:05.71 in the heat prior. That time is good for fourth fastest in the world this year and sets up quite the showdown in the final. 

Regan Smith proved that she is the woman to beat heading into tonight’s final in the 100 back, as the 19-year-old clocked in at 57.92. It’s the second sub-58 swim of her career and second only to her world record breaking swim of 57.57 at the 2019 World Championships. That record was recently broken by Kaylee McKeown who swam a 57.45 at the Australian Olympic Trials.

The third night of Olympic trials kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSports.