Katie Ledecky opened her 2026 competitive campaign in emphatic fashion, delivering another reminder of her dominance in distance swimming at the US Pro Swim Series in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday.
The nine-time Olympic gold medallist powered to victory in the women’s 1500m freestyle, touching the wall in 15:23.21, the second-fastest time ever recorded in the event. While her long-standing world record of 15:20.48 remained intact, Ledecky’s closing surge allowed her to better her own previous second-best mark of 15:24.51 set last year in Fort Lauderdale.
The 28-year-old American was in a class of her own, finishing more than a minute ahead of 16-year-old Brinkleigh Hansen, who claimed second place in 16:31.31. Becca Mann completed the podium in 16:35.09.
Ledecky’s performance continues a remarkable run in the 1500m freestyle, an event she has come to define. Since her world-record swim in 2018, she has gone on to capture her sixth world championship title in the discipline at the World Championships in Singapore last year, along with Olympic gold medals at Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024- the only two Games since the event was introduced for women.
Having first announced herself on the Olympic stage with 800m freestyle gold at the London 2012 Games, Ledecky is showing no signs of slowing as attention gradually turns toward the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The American remains the only woman to have broken the 15:30 barrier in the 1500m freestyle, achieving that feat for the 10th time. She also owns the top 12 fastest times in history and 24 of the top 25 overall, with Italy’s Simona Quadarella the lone swimmer outside the US superstar to feature near the top of the all-time list.
McIntosh led the women’s field with a time of 2:09.27, ahead of Teagan O’Dell and Emma Weyant, while Marchand clocked 2:00.10 to finish fastest among the men.
The evening also saw world record holder Regan Smith secure the women’s 100m backstroke title in 57.98 seconds, while Germany’s reigning world champion Anna Elendt claimed gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:06.91.
