Katie Ledecky claims 17th world title with 1500m freestyle victory

Katie Ledecky continued to pile up her gold medal collection on Monday after earning a record extending 17th world championship title with victory in the 1500m freestyle.

Ledecky, who won the women’s 400m freestyle on the opening day of the championships, cruised to the gold medal with a time of 15 minutes and 30.15 seconds. The 25-year-old American finished more than 14 seconds ahead of compatriot Katie Grimes, who took the silver. Australia’s Lani Pallister won bronze.

The win gave Ledecky her 20th world championship medal, equalling the women’s record set by compatriot Natalie Coughlin.

“It’s pretty wild because I feel like just yesterday I was in Barcelona at my first worlds. It’s awesome representing Team USA year after year, and it’s an honour and a privilege, and it’s why I work hard,” she said.

Elsewhere on Monday, Romanian teenager David Popovici confirmed his status as one of the most exciting emerging talents in the sport after producing a blistering swim to take gold in the men’s 200 metres freestyle.

Popovici, 17, has been drawing comparisons with some of swimming’s greats with his dominant performances in junior championships and outpowered a strong field in the 200m free for a victory which announced his arrival in the elite.

The Bucharest athlete, who finished fourth in Tokyo, became the first male Romanian swimmer to win gold at the world championships as he finished with a time of 1:43.21 – a new junior world record. He finished more than a second ahead of South Korea’s Hwang Sun-woo while Britain’s reigning Olympic champion Tom Dean finished third.

“People at home believed in me. This medal is for them,” said Popovici. “Now, I will go to recover and get ready for the 100m competition,” he said looking