Ledecky Beats McIntosh in 800m
Katie Ledecky defeated Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh in the 800m freestyle at the Pro Swim Series meet in Westmont. Ledecky's time of 8:08.57 was enough to hold off McIntosh in a highly anticipated showdown, reinforcing her dominance in distance freestyle events.
This victory continues a pattern of Ledecky holding off McIntosh in major 800m freestyle races, including at the World Championships in August 2025, where Ledecky won her record seventh world title in the event. In that race, Ledecky trailed McIntosh at the 700-meter mark before pulling ahead in the final stretch. While Ledecky won by a nearly two-second margin, the rivalry remains one of swimming's most compelling. McIntosh, at 19, is the second-fastest woman in history in the event and handed Ledecky her first loss in an 800m freestyle final in 14 years in February 2024. Ledecky, 28, holds the world record in the event with a time of 8:04.12, set in May 2025. Ledecky's dominance in the 800m freestyle is historic; she now holds the 10 fastest times ever recorded in the event. The only other swimmers to have broken the 8:10 barrier are McIntosh and Australian Lani Pallister. Ledecky has won the last four Olympic gold medals in this distance. McIntosh, a versatile phenom, holds world records in the 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly, and 400m individual medley. At the 2025 World Championships, she won four gold medals, becoming only the second woman in history to achieve that feat at a single world championship. She will also compete in the 200m butterfly, 200m IM, 400m IM, and 400m freestyle during the Westmont meet.
