Star US distance swimmer Katie Ledecky is back to her old tricks, registering her fastest 1,500-meter freestyle in seven years — and the event's second-best time in history — at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday.
The nine-time Olympic gold medalist finished the 30 pool lengths in 15:24.51, just missing the world-record 15:20.48 race time she posted in 2018.
Ledecky now holds the 1,500-meter freestyle's top 22 fastest times in women's swimming history — all of which would have won Wednesday's final race, where she defeated second-place finisher Jillian Cox — a University of Texas freshman — by a full 39 seconds.
Even more, Ledecky didn't slow down after her 1,500-meter performance posting her fastest 400-meter freestyle in nine years the very next day.
In the final lap of the race, the 28-year-old staged a comeback to pass Canadian teenage phenom and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Summer McIntosh and secure the win.
Her time of 3:56.81 just missed the US record of 3:56.46 that Ledecky previously claimed along with a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"I don't know if I ever thought I was going to be 3:56 again," Ledecky said in her post-race broadcast interview. "I'm just really happy with all the work that I've put in to get to this point."
How to watch Ledecky at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series
The 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series continues through Saturday, with Ledecky competing in Friday's 200-meter freestyle final prior to racing in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday.
Both races will begin at 6 PM ET on their respective days.
Live coverage of the meet will stream on Peacock on Friday before shifting to the USA Swimming Network on Saturday.
After a bit of a sluggish start, Team USA surged in the final few days of Olympic swimming to hold rival Australia at bay and pick up the most swimming gold medals of any participating country.
The entire US swim team finished with eight overall golds, six of which were earned at least in part by a member of the women's team (one gold went to the mixed gender 4x100-meter medley relay).
Meanwhile, Team Australia capped their Olympic run with seven gold medals, though the overall total count swung more firmly in the US' favor at 28 to 18.
Team USA swimmers shine in imperfect Olympic meet
The meet was by no means perfect for Team USA, but they leave Paris with obvious bright spots and a few broken world records to boot.
Torri Huske emerged Paris's most decorated US women's swimmer. Along with her individual 100-meter butterfly gold, Huske anchored two gold medal relays, and tacked on two silver medals.
After getting the better of Australian standout Ariarne Titmus in the 800-meter freestyle, US icon Katie Ledecky leaved Paris with two individual golds, a solo bronze, and a relay silver. Plus, she became Team USA's most decorated Olympic women's sports athlete of all time.
In the end, former NCAA star Katie Douglass rounded out the impressive US trio with a gold in the 200-meter breaststroke to complement her two relay silvers.
Lastly, the final Olympic race gave the US a shining stamp on the Games, as the 4x100 medley relay earned a new world record on the way to the team's final gold medal.
McIntosh lays strong Olympic foundation
While the 2024 Games might be best remembered for the splashy US-Australia rivalry, they'll also live in history as Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh's thrilling Olympic debut.
In her first Olympics, the 17-year-old earned three individual gold medals and one silver, already staking her claim as a serious contender for the best all-around swimmer in the world.