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Ledecky, 27, who was born in DC and raised in Bethesda, cruised to victory with a time of 15:30.02, representing the first of possibly many gold medals at the Games.
She is now the first female swimmer to claim a gold medal in four Olympic Games. With plenty of time to bolster her unrivaled resume.
Ledecky has not lost the event in more than a decade, and now holds the 19 fastest times recorded. It is her eighth gold medal, tying her with Jenny Thompson for the most among American Olympians.
With one more, she will tie the worldwide record, and with two more wins, she will become the most decorated woman in Olympic history.
On Wednesday, Ledecky was clearly the class of the field with her record-setting performance, and she was joined by France's Anastasiya Kirpichnikova (15:40.35), and Germany's Isabel Marie Gose (15:41.16) on the podium.
Italy's Simona Quadarella (15:44.05) was the only competitor to finish within 16 minutes.
As for Ledecky, she qualified for four other events, all of which she has medaled before, having already claiming a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.
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