SWIMMING: Ledecky breezes to wins in 200 m and 1,500 m Free; London gold medalist Schmidt makes U.S. team at 31; Aussie McKeon swims world lead 52.19 in 100 Free

American swimming superstar Katie Ledecky: now a 17-time World Championships gold medalist!

(★ Friends: The new bill for server and support costs has arrived. If you would like to support our coverage, please donate here. Your enthusiasm is the reason this site continues. Thank you. ★)

Katie Ledecky wrapped up her second and third spots in Tokyo at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, winning the 200 m Freestyle and the 1,500 m Free.

She took control of the 200 m Free by the 150 m mark and won by daylight in 1:55.11 over 31-year-old Allison Schmidt (1:56.79), Paige Madden (1:56.80) and Katie McLaughlin (1:57.16). However, with the 1,500 m Free final later, Ledecky didn’t even set a season’s best (1:54.40 in early April) and remains second on the year list.

Schmidt, the 2012 Olympic champion who took a break after Rio, returned to the pool in 2018, will be in Tokyo for her fourth Games: she’s won medals in Beijing, London (200 m Free gold!) and Rio. She’s still the American Record holder at the distance at 1:53.61 from 2012.

(The U.S. 4×200 m Free relay will have its work cut out for them in Tokyo, after finishing in 1:55.11-1:56.79-1:56.80-1:57.16. By comparison, the top four at the Australian Trials earlier this week timed 1:53.09-1:54.74-1:55.68-1:56.08.)

In the 1,500 m final, Ledecky came in with the fastest time in the world at 15:40.55 and led wire-to-wire, finishing in a world-leading 15:40.50. It’s the 14th-fastest performance in history and Ledecky owns the top 10 and 13 of the top 15.

Behind her was a three-way battle for second, with Erica Sullivan maintaining that position for most of the race and finishing in 15:51.18, but with company coming fast as Katie Grimes touched in 15:52.12, trailed by open-water star Haley Anderson, in 15:55.60. Sullivan is now no. 4 on the 2021 world list and Grimes is no. 5.

Madisyn Cox entered the women’s 200 m Medley with the second-fastest time in the world this season at 2:08.51, but it was Alex Walsh, 20, who took over on the third (breaststroke) leg and barely held on to come home the winner in 2:09.30, about a half-second behind her season’s best mark from the semis. Cox was second heading into the final lap, but was passed by a season’s best from Kate Douglass, 2:09.32-2:09.34, as all three touched within 0.04!

Semifinal co-leader Zach Harting won the men’s 200 m Fly in the final 50 m, overhauling Trenton Julian and Luca Orlando on the final lap, finishing in 1:55.06, moving to no. 7 on the 2021 world list. As Julian faded to fifth at the touch, Rio Olympian Gunnar Bentz moved up from fifth to second in 1:55.34 and Urlando got third (1:55.43).

In the men’s 100 m Free qualifying, Ryan Held led the morning heats at 48.07, with Caeleb Dressel a comfortable fifth in 48.25. But Dressel warmed up in the semis, racing to the no. 5 spot on the 2021 world list in 47.77, just 0.01 ahead of Zach Apple (47.78, now no. 6) in semi two. Blake Pieroni (48.13) won semi one. One sad note: 2012 Olympic champ Nathan Adrian did not qualify for the final, placing 13th in a creditable 48.13.

Will Gallant led the morning heats in the men’s 800 m Final in 7:53.76; that’s the best time by an American in 2021, but 26th on the year list (with the final to come).

No American had broken 2:09 this season in the men’s 200 m Breast, but Matt Fallon posted the fastest semi time in 2:08.91 to move to 15th in the world this year. Nic Fink won the first semi in 2:09.13 and Kevin Cordes (2:09.31) and Will Licon (2:09.39) went 2-3 in Fallon’s first semi.

Favored Hali Flickinger led the morning qualifying in the women’s 200 m Fly in 2:08.14, then dominated the semifinals impressively, winning the second semi in 2:06.73, just off her seasonal best of 2:06.68, which is third in the world for 2021. Backstroke star Regan Smith won the first semi in 2:07.89 and is well positioned to make the U.S. not only in a second event, but in a second stroke!

The U.S. Trials continue though Sunday; Thursday’s finals include the men’s 800 m, men’s 100 m Breaststroke, women’s 200 m Butterfly and the men’s 100 m Freestyle.

At the Australian Swimming Trials in Adelaide, sprinter Emma McKeon improved on her own world-leading mark in the women’s 100 m Free, racing to a 52.19 finish in the morning heats.

She won the final in 52.35, ahead of 2013 World Champion Cate Campbell (52.59, Madison Wilson (52.76) and Meg Harris (52.92), giving Australia positions 1-2-3-5 on the 2021 world list, and the favorite’s role in the 4×100 m Freestyle relay.

McKeon’s 52.19 is the eighth-fastest performance ever, and only Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), Cate Campbell, American Simone Manuel and German Britta Steffen have ever swum faster.

Jenna Strauch won the women’s 200 m Breast final in 2:23.17, slightly slower than her season’s best of 2:23.12, 12th on the 2021 world list.

Mitch Larkin, best known as a two-time World Champion in the Backstroke, sizzled in the men’s 200 m Medley, winning in 1:56.29 to move to no. 2 in the world for 2021. He finished well ahead of Brendon Smith in second (1:58.82).

Tristan Hollard took the men’s 200 m Back in 1:56.44, slower than his 1:56.40 in April; he remains at no. 11 for 2021.

The Australian Trials conclude on Thursday, with the women’s 200 m Back, men’s 100 m Fly, women’s 800 m Free, women’s 50 m Free, men’s 50 m Free and the men’s 1,500 m Free.

You can receive our exclusive TSX Report by e-mail by clicking here. You can also refer a friend by clicking here, and can donate here to keep this site going.

For our 649-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!