Katie Ledecky showed she is still the gold standard in the 800 meters freestyle after ending Summer McIntosh’s bid for five individual titles while fending off Australian surprise package Lani Pallister at the world championships on Saturday.
American Ledecky had to fight all the way in a thrilling three-way battle to secure her seventh world title in the event and 23rd overall in a time of 8:05.62 at the Singapore pool.
With three gold medals in the bag and grinding through a huge program, McIntosh mounted a brave challenge and took the lead with 100 meters to go as fans roared in the stands.
But Ledecky found another gear to snatch back the lead then rode home with the gallant Pallister (8:05.98) pushing her to the finish.
‘I kind of figured it was going to be more than just Summer,’ said Ledecky.
‘Definitely the fastest field in the 800 ever … I’m happy I could come out on top.’
McIntosh, who finished 1.67 seconds behind Ledecky, had hoped to match Michael Phelps’s feat of winning five individual gold medals at a single world championships.
But the 18-year-old Canadian can finish off a brilliant campaign with gold in the 400 individual medley (IM) on the final day on Sunday.
Relay world record
While McIntosh may one day be held in the same esteem as nine-times Olympic gold medalist Ledecky, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown has already cemented her place as the greatest backstroker in women’s swimming.
The only woman to win back-to-back Olympic 100 and 200 backstroke golds, McKeown completed another double in Singapore with an emphatic win in the 200.
Once again it was American Regan Smith looking to take down McKeown, only to be reeled in on the last lap as the Australian dominator clocked 2:03.33, the third fastest swim of all time.
It was nearly a second better than Smith (2:04.29), who had taken silver behind McKeown in the 100 and 200 at the Paris Olympics and again in the 100 in Singapore.
Just like in Paris, McKeown’s win came straight after compatriot Cameron McEvoy stormed to his second 50 freestyle title in 21.14 seconds, becoming the oldest Australian world champion at the age of 31.
Fastest off the blocks, McEvoy once again denied Ben Proud (21.26) gold, having beaten the Briton to the Olympic title by a fingertip in Paris exactly a year ago.
Leon Marchand and his 200 IM world record was one of the biggest headlines from the Singapore meet but another Frenchman grabbed the spotlight on Saturday.
Maxime Grousset rocketed to his second 100 butterfly world title in 49.62, beating Swiss Noe Ponti and recording the third quickest swim of all-time in the event.
Only American world record holder Caeleb Dressel (49.45) has gone faster.
It was Grousset’s second butterfly title in Singapore, having also beaten Ponti for the 50 on day two.
Gretchen Walsh kept the U.S. team medal haul ticking upwards with a dominant victory in the 50 butterfly, adding to her 100 title in Singapore.
Touching the wall in 24.83 seconds, Walsh was nearly half a second better than runner-up Alex Perkins, who set an Australian record of 25.31.
There was more cheer for the United States as Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske combined to win the non-Olympic mixed 4×100 freestyle gold in a world record time of 3:18.83, shaving nearly half a second off Australia’s mark from the event two years ago in Fukuoka (3:18.83).
Apart from McIntosh’s 400 IM title bid, there are seven other gold medals on offer in a packed program on the final day.
Marchand, the ‘French Phelps’, will look to add the 400 IM title to his 200 IM gold, while German iron man Florian Wellbrock will gun for the 1,500 freestyle title to boost his bumper haul after sweeping the open water events.