NANTERRE, France — On a night when Léon Marchand was attempting an audacious double, Katie Ledecky proved again she’s a sure bet in swimming’s longest event.
Ledecky romped to the eighth Olympic gold medal of her brilliant career and 12th medal overall with a runaway victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle Wednesday at the Paris Games. She also confirmed after the race that she has no plans of retiring and wants to compete in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been consistent over these last few months and last few years in saying that I would love to compete in L.A. and that hasn’t changed,” Ledecky said. “That could change. I mean, you never know. So, I really just take it year by year at this point and I really haven’t thought much beyond this week in terms of what my fall is going to look like, what my next year is going to look like. But yeah, I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in the sport yet.”
Ledecky, 27, tied fellow Americans Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin and Jenny Thompson for the most medals ever by a female swimmer. Ledecky said she wasn’t concerned about the history or records she’s making.
