Katie Ledecky Grabs Second Jewel Of Triple Crown With 1:53.73 Triumph In 200 Freestyle

We’re coming up on a half-century since she fought through the thin air of Mexico City to register the first – and only – freestyle Triple Crown in Olympic history. Only 16 years old, Debbie Meyer was a standard setter at the 1968 Olympic Games, beating back asthma in conditions hardly conducive to someone with her disorder.

But as Meyer left what ended up being her only Games, there had to be a belief her feat would be matched somewhere along the way. With the Olympic program growing, more opportunities would be available for an athlete with the right combination of speed and endurance.

It took 48 years.

Completing the most-challenging leg of her journey into the record book, Katie Ledecky secured the second jewel of the Triple Crown on Tuesday night, winning the 200 freestyle in 1:53.73. It was supposed to be a difficult ask of the 19-year-old, and that scenario indeed unfolded as Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom claimed the silver medal in 1:54.08, with Australian Emma McKeon taking the bronze in 1:54.92. Italy’s Federica Pellegrini followed in 1:55.18.

All that remains for Ledecky to complete the Triple Crown is defense of her gold medal in the 800 freestyle, the event which – as the cliché goes – launched her into stardom. Only disaster will keep Ledecky from the top of the podium, the gap over her closest challengers upwards of 10 seconds.

The margin of victory in the 200 free may not be an overwhelming figure, but for the fact Ledecky is a former long-distance ace transformed into an all-distance machine, it adds another chapter to her legacy. On top of the sport in four freestyle events at last summer’s World Championships in Kazan, and likely three in Rio, her foes must be posing questions to themselves: Is she beatable? How long can she keep this up?

Fifth at …

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