Olympics: US teen prodigy claims gold in 800m freestyle
August 4th, 2012 - 7:53 am ICT by IANSLondon, Aug 4 (IANS/RIA Novosti) America’s 15-year-old freestyle prodigy Katie Ledecky blew away the field for gold in the women’s 800 meters freestyle at the Olympics Friday.
Ledecky clocked an American record of eight minutes, 14.63 seconds to claim the title, as Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain snatched the silver four seconds back.
“I figured I was going pretty fast. At one point I thought, if I’m gonna be close to this record I don’t even care. I just want to get my hand on the wall first,” Ledecky said.
Britain’s defending champion and world record holder Rebecca Adlington couldn’t live with the pace, fading from silver position to settle for bronze in 8:20.32.
Garcia spoke of her shock at overtaking Alington at the death.
“I let the other girls go a little bit ahead but not too much,” she said. “Actually, when I was overtaking Adlington, I thought: ‘What is happening here?”
Adlington also took the bronze in Sunday’s 400m freestyle, won by Camile Muffat of France.
She admitted the weight of expectation was hard to cope with.
“The pressure has been hard to deal with over the past four years, no other Brit has ever won two gold medals,” she said.
“I am not disappointed I have got a bronze medal so there is nothing to be ashamed of, what I am disappointed more in is the time,” Adlington said.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
snb
- France's Muffat grabs 400m freestyle gold - Jul 30, 2012
- Olympic swimming: Jiao wins 200m butterfly for China - Aug 02, 2012
- Schmitt wins women's 200m freestyle - Aug 01, 2012
- Olympics: China's Ye Shiwen shatters world record in swimming - Jul 29, 2012
- Five Paralympic golds leave Savchenko incredulous - Sep 08, 2012
- Olympics: Kromowidjojo blazes to 100m freestyle gold - Aug 03, 2012
- European swimming: Seven golds decided on penultimate day - May 27, 2012
- Phelps becomes history's most medaled Olympian (Lead) - Aug 01, 2012
- Hungary top medals table at Euro swimming - May 28, 2012
- Olympic pole vault: France's Lavillenie soars to gold - Aug 11, 2012
- South Korea's Kim takes shooting gold in 25m pistol - Aug 02, 2012
- Paralympic gold for Russia in women's long jump - Aug 31, 2012
- Olympic modern pentathlon: Lithuania's Asadauskaite wins last gold - Aug 13, 2012
- Olympic 5,000m: Ethiopia's Defar stuns Dibaba for gold - Aug 11, 2012
- Olympics: China's Sun wins gold in 1,500m freestyle - Aug 05, 2012
Tags: 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, adlington, alington, belmonte, brit, bronze medal, defending champion, expectation, gold medals, little bit, mireia, olympics, pace, rebecca, ria novosti, shock, snb, teen prodigy, world record holder