Jan 15 (Reuters) - Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky clocked the second-fastest swim ever in the women's 1,500-metre freestyle at the 2026 U.S. Pro Swim Series event in Austin on Wednesday,
winning the race in 15 minutes, 23.21 seconds.
Ledecky, 28, dominated from start to finish, completing the race more than a minute ahead of 16-year-old Brinkleigh Hansen, who came in second with a time of 16:31.31.
The 26-year-old Becca Mann finished third in 16:35.09.
"I was really happy with that. I think I came into today with pretty low expectations. Just didn't really know what to expect coming off the back of Christmas training and all the hard work," Ledecky told SwimSwam after the race.
"I usually do pretty well when I feel good about my training… but it was my first long course race since Singapore Worlds in July and August.
"I kind of kept the expectations low, but that's sometimes how I end up having my best swims."
Ledecky's time was second only to her own world record of 15:20.48, which she set at another Pro Swim Series meet back in May 2018.
With a total of 14 Olympic medals to her name, the American looks promising for another stellar performance at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
In the men's 1,500m freestyle, world record-holder Bobby Finke claimed victory with a time of 15:01.70. Ireland's Daniel Wiffen, the reigning Olympic 800m champion, finished second in 15:04.98, while Ryan Erisman took third in 15:06.94.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra)
