Ledecky Swims Second-Fastest Time in History on Night One of TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale
The TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale started with a bang as Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) won the women's 1500-meter freestyle by almost 40 seconds with a time of 15:24.51. The time was Ledecky's fastest swim in the event since she set the world record in 2018, and she now holds the top 22 times in the event's history. In the next heat, training partner Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla./Saint Petersburg Aquatics) won the men's 1500m freestyle in equally dominant fashion. Finke's final time of 15:20.47 was his fastest in-season performance and gave him the victory by more than 25 seconds.
Women’s 1500m Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club), 15:24.51
2 – Jillian Cox (Cedar Park, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics), 16:04.13
3 – Kate Hurst (Hillsdale, N.J./Longhorn Aquatics), 16:14.26
Ledecky on swimming the second-fastest time in world history: “I'm pretty fired up. I’ve been training really well and feeling good going into this meet, but you never know. It’s not like it’s the biggest meet of the year or anything, I just wanted (my time) to be a season best, which would have been 15:36. I’m pretty ecstatic.”
Men’s 1500m Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla./Saint Petersburg Aquatics), 14:54.49
2 – Ryan Erisman (Windermere, Fla./Laker Swim), 15:20.47
3 – Juan Vallmitjana (ESP), 15:24.55
Finke on his win: “That was the fastest I’ve ever been in season - that means a lot to me. It’s always good to throw down a pretty good time and it was pretty awesome to see what Katie (Ledecky) did before I swam. It’s been a great day for Katie and I. This place is absolutely gorgeous, Fort Lauderdale is awesome, and it’s a great pool. I’m having a great time here and also putting up great times. That was my best event, so I can get the best one out of the way and enjoy the next few days. I have a couple fun events tomorrow and Friday, and I’m back to one of the main focuses with the 800 on Saturday.”
Competition continues through Saturday at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. ET, while finals start at 6 p.m. ET. Tomorrow’s action includes the women’s and men’s 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, 200m butterfly, and 400m freestyle. Meet information and the complete competition schedule are available here.
Click here to see the full broadcast schedule for TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale. Live streams and event replays are available on the USA Swimming Network. Live results will be posted to @USASwimmingNews on X.