Katie Ledecky cruises to 800 free final

Rio de Janeiro: Katie Ledecky swam a sensational anchor leg to claim her third gold medal of the Rio Olympics as the United States won the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay on Wednesday. With this win she became the second woman ever to win the 200, 400 and 800 free in the same Olympic Games, with American Debbie Meyer doing so at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

Bearing in mind Ledecky was six seconds shy of the world record she set earlier this year, Britain’s Jazz Carlin knows she is scrapping for a second silver of these Games at the very best. By the time she came off her first turn though, Ledecky had the U.S.in front, cruising in and finishing her leg in 1:53.74, the fastest of the 32 times registered in the race by almost a second.

The Katie Ledecky-led USA team struck gold in the women’s 4 x 200 freestyle relay. So far, all of these medals have been earned by Maryland athletes on the Olympic swim team: Katie Ledecky with four medals, Michael Phelps with three, Allison Schmitt with two, and Cierra Runge, Jack Conger, and Chase Kalisz each with one.

Mireia Belmonte Garcia finally has her gold medal.

Now, all eyes are on Ledecky, who at age 19 is still the youngest member of the US swim team in Rio. She’s the world-record holder and defending Olympic champion in the 800 free. “It brings back so many wonderful memories of when I was swimming, things that this old brain has forgotten”.

Saturday’s other final saw another American victory as Madeline Dirado denied Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu a fourth gold medal of the Games in the 200m backstroke. The win increases her gold medal total to three.

“It’s good consistency, I guess”, she said nonchalantly.

In 2012, Ledecky, then 15, won the 800 freestyle in 8:14.63.

In other action, Michael Phelps was stunned by Joseph Schooling of Singapore in the 100-meter butterfly.

‘I have been feeling a bit rough over the last couple of days so to come away with another silver medal is an incredible feeling.

The race marked the first women’s swimming race of the Olympics in which USA women didn’t win at least one medal.