Ledecky wins Olympic distance gold at 15
Friday, August 3, 2012
LONDON (AP) -- Katie Ledecky got good luck wishes from Missy Franklin and a high-five from Michael Phelps on her way to the pool deck to swim in her first Olympic final at 15.
Then the high school sophomore-to-be from Bethesda, Md., went out and won her own gold medal.
Ledecky touched first in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8 minutes, 15.63 seconds on Friday night, beating a field that included defending Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington of Britain and 2008 bronze medalist Lotte Friis of Denmark.
She lowered Janet Evans' American record of 8:16.22 set on Aug. 20, 1989 -- eight years before Ledecky was born.
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