OMAHA, Neb. – Katie Ledecky earned her spot for the Rio Olympics, winning the 400-meter freestyle at the U.S. swimming trials Monday night. The only thing that didn’t go her way was another world record.
Ledecky set a blistering pace over the first half of the race, putting her more than 2 seconds ahead of the pace from her record-setting performance at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships in Australia.
But Ledecky tired a bit over the final 200, another world mark slipping away when she touched in 3 minutes, 58.98 seconds. Leah Smith pushed the 19-year-old winner all the way, also claiming an Olympic berth by finishing at 4:00.65.
The crowd of more than 14,000 groaned a bit when the saw Ledecky’s time, but it was still the third-fastest in history.
Dana Vollmer is also heading back to the Olympics less than 16 months after giving birth to her first child. Vollmer finished second behind Kelsi Worrell in the 100-meter butterfly Monday night, giving her a chance to defend her Olympic title in Rio.
Kevin Cordes also qualified for Rio in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 58.94 seconds.