Women's 800 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
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Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
Dates | 29 July 2021 (heats) 31 July 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
Competitors | 30 from 22 nations | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 8:12.57 | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |||
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Qualification | |||
Freestyle | |||
50 m | men | women | |
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
400 m | men | women | |
800 m | men | women | |
1500 m | men | women | |
Backstroke | |||
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
Breaststroke | |||
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
Butterfly | |||
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
Individual medley | |||
200 m | men | women | |
400 m | men | women | |
Freestyle relay | |||
4 × 100 m | men | women | |
4 × 200 m | men | women | |
Medley relay | |||
4 × 100 m | men | mixed | women |
Marathon | |||
10 km | men | women | |
The women's 800 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 29 to 31 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. [1] It was the event's 14th consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1968.
Katie Ledecky won the gold medal, becoming the first person to win the event three consecutive times. At age 24, Ledecky became the oldest winner in the event after already being the youngest at the age of 15 in 2012. [2]
U.S. distance legend Katie Ledecky won her third consecutive Olympic title in this event, joining Australian Dawn Fraser (100 free, 1956-64) and Hungarian Krisztina Egerszegi (200 back, 1988-96) as the only female swimmers in Olympic history to three-peat an event. Dominating the race from the start, Ledecky fended off a large charge by Australia's Ariarne Titmus to win gold in 8:12.79 - the 17th-fastest swim of all-time and of her career. Titmus, having bettered Ledecky in their 200 and 400 freestyle duels earlier in the week, lowered her Commonwealth record by almost two seconds to claim silver in 8:13.83.
Meanwhile, Italy's Simona Quadarella edged out the U.S.' 15-year-old Katie Grimes to earn bronze in 8:18.37. Grimes, the second fastest qualifier into the final following her teammate Ledecky, was unable to replicate her heat time and settled for fourth place in 8:19.38. Outside the 8:20 club, China's Wang Jianjiahe (8:21.93) and Titmus's teammate Kiah Melverton (8:22.25), picked up the fifth and sixth spots respectively, finishing 31-hundredths of a second apart from each other. Germany's Sarah Köhler (8:24.56) and ROC's Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (8:26.30) rounded out the championship field.
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record | Katie Ledecky (USA) | 8:04.79 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 12 August 2016 | [3] |
Olympic record | Katie Ledecky (USA) | 8:04.79 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 12 August 2016 | [3] |
No new records were set during the competition.
The Olympic Qualifying Time for the event was 8:33.36. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) could automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time was 8:48.76. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time was eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events was reached. NOCs without a female swimmer qualified in any event could also use their universality place. [4]
The competition consisted of two rounds: heats and a final. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the heats advanced to the final. Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round. [5]
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) [1]
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
29 July | 19:00 | Heats |
31 July | 10:46 | Final |
The swimmers with the top 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final. [6]
Rank | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | Katie Ledecky | United States | 8:12.57 | ||
7 | Ariarne Titmus | Australia | 8:13.83 | OC | |
3 | Simona Quadarella | Italy | 8:18.35 | ||
4 | 5 | Katie Grimes | United States | 8:19.38 | |
5 | 8 | Wang Jianjiahe | China | 8:21.93 | |
6 | 1 | Kiah Melverton | Australia | 8:22.25 | |
7 | 6 | Sarah Köhler | Germany | 8:24.56 | |
8 | 2 | Anastasiya Kirpichnikova | ROC | 8:26.30 |
Mireia Belmonte García is a Spanish Olympic, world, and European champion swimmer. She is the world record holder in the short course 200 metre butterfly and 400 metre individual medley. Formerly, she held the world record in the short course 400 metre freestyle, 800 metre freestyle, and 1500 metre freestyle. She was the first Spanish woman to win a gold medal in swimming at an Olympic Games and is widely considered to be the greatest Spanish swimmer of all time.
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer. She has won nine Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. With 14 medals and 9 gold medals, she is also the most decorated American woman, most decorated female swimmer, the woman with the most gold medals and fifth-most decorated athlete in Olympic history. She has won a record 16 individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships. Ledecky's 10 individual medals at the Olympics and 26 overall medals at the World Aquatics Championships are records in women's swimming. Ledecky is the world record holder in the women's 800- and 1500-meter freestyle, as well as the former world record holder in the women's 400-meter freestyle. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. She is widely regarded as the greatest female swimmer of all time and one of the greatest Olympians of all time.
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