FUKUOKA, Japan, — Katie Ledecky eased to her 20th gold medal overall at the World Aquatics Championships, powering to a fifth women's 1,500-meter freestyle title after Matthew Richards led a British 1-2 in the men's 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday.
Ledecky, 26, a seven-time Olympic champion, went into the race as the firm favorite, going more than 13 seconds quicker than Italy's Simona Quadarella — the next best — in the heats and was under her world record time after a blistering start to the final.
But Ledecky's pace dropped slightly after she took a huge lead, and she touched the pad in 15 minutes, 26.27 seconds to finish 17.04 seconds faster than Quadarella, who settled for silver while China's Li Bingjie took bronze.
It was the perfect response for Ledecky, who was dethroned and left disappointed by the record-breaking Ariarne Titmus in Sunday's 400-meter freestyle event. «I feel good,» Ledecky said. «It hurt a lot, but I'm really happy with the outcome.