Katie Ledecky finally wins gold at Tokyo Games

TOKYO — Finally, a golden medal successful Tokyo for Katie Ledecky.

The American prima bounced backmost from the worst decorativeness of her superb Olympic vocation to instrumentality the first-ever golden medal successful the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle Wednesday.

It wasn’t rather the breeze that everyone expected successful the metric mile. Ledecky built a large pb close from the start, past worked hard to clasp disconnected American teammate Erica Sullivan’s blazing finish.

But it was Ledecky touching archetypal successful 15 minutes, 37.39 seconds. Sullivan claimed the metallic (15:41.41), portion the bronze went to Germany’s Sarah Kohler (15:42.91).

It was rather a greeting astatine the Tokyo Aquatics Centre for Ledecky, who seemed a spot flooded by the ups and downs she experienced successful a small implicit an hour.

She tumbled implicit the lane enactment to springiness Sullivan a hug, fto retired an uncharacteristic shriek toward the American cheering conception successful the mostly bare arena and seemed to beryllium holding backmost tears arsenic she pulled her goggles backmost down implicit her eyes earlier exiting the pool.

In her archetypal last of the day, Ledecky was blown distant by her Australian rival, Ariarne Titmus, who made it 2-for-2 implicit the American with a triumph successful the 200 free.

Ledecky didn’t adjacent triumph a medal — the archetypal clip that’s ever happened to her successful an Olympic race. She was acold down each the way, ne'er getting immoderate higher than her fifth-place finish.

The Australian known arsenic the Terminator gave the Australian women their 3rd idiosyncratic swimming golden with an Olympic grounds of 1:53.50, adding to her thrilling triumph successful the 400 free.

In the longer race, Titmus conserved her vigor implicit the archetypal half, past rallied to walk Ledecky with the second-fastest show successful history.

Ledecky?

She was obscurity to beryllium found.

The defending Olympic champion made the archetypal flip successful seventh spot and finished successful 1:55.21 — astir 2 seconds down the winner.

Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong led overmuch of the contention earlier hanging connected to instrumentality the metallic successful 1:53.92. The bronze went to Canada’s Penny Oleksiak successful 1:54.70.

“Obviously having a large aquatics successful the 400 gives maine assurance coming into the 200,” Titmus said. “I thought my backmost extremity was decidedly my spot successful the 400. I knew I could person that connected the mode location successful the 200.”

Titmus wasn’t each that pleased with her time, but it was bully capable for different gold.

“Honestly, it’s not the clip that I thought I could bash this morning, but it’s the Olympics and there’s a batch of different worldly going on,” she said. “So it’s conscionable astir winning here. I’m precise happy.”

Italy’s Federica Pellegrini of Italy finished seventh successful her 5th and last Olympics. She won the golden successful 2008 and is inactive the world-record holder.

The Americans besides picked up a mates of medals successful the women’s 200 idiosyncratic medley — but not the 1 they wanted.

Japan’s Yui Ohashi completed her IM expanse by beating Americans Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass, adding to her triumph successful the 400.

The winning clip was 2:08.52. Walsh claimed the metallic successful 2:08.65, portion the bronze went to Douglass successful 2:09.04.

Defending Olympic champion and satellite record-holder Katinka Hosszu of Hungary finished seventh. She was the oldest swimmer successful the last astatine property 32.

There were no surprises in the men’s 200 butterfly, with Kristof Milak of Hungary romping to a dominating — but alternatively nerve-wracking — victory.

Milak won the the golden by astir 2 assemblage lengths contempt having to hastily alteration suits earlier the race, which outgo him a accidental to interruption his ain satellite record.

Milak said that helium realized astir 10 minutes earlier walking connected platform that his suit was damaged. He told Hungarian reporters that helium wholly mislaid focus, though it was hard to archer from his show successful the pool.

He held up the suit successful the mixed zone, putting a digit done the teardrop earlier tossing it connected a array successful disgust.

Milak inactive touched successful an Olympic grounds of 1:51.25 — much than a half-second disconnected his 2019 satellite grounds (1:50.73) but immoderate 2 1/2 seconds up of the metallic medalist.

Japan’s Tomoru Honda finished successful 1:53.73, portion the bronze went to Italy’s Federico Burdisso (1:54.45).

South African prima Chad le Clos finished fifth. He won the 200 alert astatine the 2012 London Olympics, upsetting Michael Phelps, but was nary lucifer for the Hungarian star.

Caeleb Dressel breezed done the semifinals of the 100 free, his archetypal of 3 idiosyncratic events. The American prima posted the second-fastest clip (47.23), conscionable down Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov (47.11).

“That’s astir what I expected,” Dressel said. “It’s going to beryllium a accelerated final.”

He shook disconnected the presumption that he’s a fastener for the gold.

“I’ve ne'er been a instrumentality of favorites,” Dressel said. “It’s going to beryllium a truly amusive race. Really looking guardant to it. I mean, there’s rather honestly 8 guys successful contention, truthful it’s going to beryllium breathtaking for everyone to watch. You guys (in the media) should beryllium jealous I get to instrumentality portion successful it.”