World-record holder Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) and 2023 World Aquatics Championships teammate Charlie Clark (Sandusky, Ohio/The Ohio State University) kicked off the competition at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Open with wins in the 800-meter freestyle Wednesday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. 

Women’s 800m Freestyle – FINAL  
1 – Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club), 8:15.91 
2 – Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala./New York Athletic Club), 8:29.91 
3 – Jillian Cox (Cedar Park, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics), 8:33.77 

Ledecky on her race: “It’s exciting to start the year off with this meet and see what I can do this week.” 

Men’s 800m Freestyle – FINAL  
1 – Charlie Clark (Sandusky, Ohio/The Ohio State University), 7:50.49 
2 – David Johnston (Dallas, Texas/The Swim Team), 7:53.87 
3 – Ilia Sibirtsev (University of Louisville), 7:54.36 

Clark on his race: “That was my first 800m since the world champs back in July, so I was really just focusing on my race plan more than anything. I was trying to focus on going out pretty controlled but trying to stay relevant in the race and not getting too far behind, then building the race as I went on to see how far I could finish.” 

Clark on his performance: “My best time is about .3 faster than that so I was like right on my best unrested this time of year so I couldn’t be happier with a time like that. It’s faster than I was at [nationals] this past year.” 

Competition continues through Saturday with tomorrow’s action featuring the 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley and the 50m freestyle. Thursday-Saturday prelims will begin at 9 a.m. ET, while finals start at 6 p.m. ET.

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