Ledecky flirts with 800m free world record
Austin (AFP) - Katie Ledecky posted the second-fastest 800 meters freestyle in history, threatening her own world record in a victory at the Arena Pro Swim Series stop at Austin.
The Olympic gold medallist won in eight minutes, 11.21 seconds to complete a sweep of the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle events at the meet.
She was 28 seconds clear of runner-up Elizabeth Beisel, who finished second in 8:39.76.
"I swam it the right way, and that's always a good feeling," Ledecky said. "I definitely wanted to take advantage of that."
Throughout much of the first 600 meters, Ledecky was under the pace of her world record of 8:11.00, set on June 22, 2014 at Shenandoah, Texas.
"I'm feeling pretty good. I know that training is paying off," Ledecky said. "My last three weeks have been some of my best training, and I'm just hoping to carry that on for the next couple of months."
The meet is the second of six stops on the 2014-15 Pro Swim Series. The next event in the series is in Orlando, Florida, February 12-14.
