Olympics

Katie Ledecky’s 1500-meter Olympics domination forced NBC to change camera angles

Katie Ledecky is in a league — and camera angle — of her own.

During the final of the women’s 1500-meter freestyle on Wednesday afternoon, Ledecky had such a considerable lead that NBC’s broadcast had to alter its vantage point to include the leader as well as the competitors, well, way behind.

Prior to the network’s tweak, Ledecky was so far ahead that she was literally the only one within NBC’s camera’s range during multiple points in the race, including as she touched the wall on her final leg.

The 27-year-old ultimately finished with a time of 15:30.02, which set an Olympic record and ranked as the eighth-fastest in the history of the event, according to The Athletic.

Trailing Ledecky were France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova at 15:40.35 and Germany’s Isabel Gose at 15:41.16.

Ledecky’s win marked her second straight in the Games in the women’s 1500-meter free after doing so in Tokyo in 2021.

In terms of national representation, Ledecky’s win gave Team USA its fifth gold medal, joining Torri Huske (women’s 100-meter butterfly) and the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay from the pool.

American swimmer Katie Ledecky touches the wall with nobody else in sight during the women's 1500-meter freestyle race on Wednesday, July 31.
Nobody was even close to matching Katie Ledecky’s record-setting pace. @ZPathletic/X

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS


Her latest medal was the 12th in her storied career and the eighth gold, tied with Jenny Thompson, Dana Torres and Natalie Coughlin for the most among female swimmers in American history.

The Stanford product also finished with bronze in the 400-meter freestyle Saturday, falling to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.

Most exciting for American — and international — swimming fans is that Ledecky isn’t done just yet from Paris.

Katie Ledecky, of the United States, celebrates after winning the women's 1500-meter freestyle final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Nanterre, France.
Katie Ledecky’s win gave her an eighth gold medal in her unforgettable career. AP

Ledecky will also race in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay on Thursday, an event in which Team USA won silver in 2021.

On top of that, Ledecky will compete Friday and potentially on Saturday in the women’s 800-meter freestyle, an event that she’s dominated in every Olympics since 2008.

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