Katie Ledecky Wins Seventh Consecutive 800m Freestyle World Title in Singapore

American swimmer Katie Ledecky secured her seventh consecutive world championship gold in the women's 800-meter freestyle at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, continuing her longstanding dominance in the event. She finished with a time of 8:05.62, setting a world championship record and narrowly out-touching Australia’s Lani Pallister, who took silver, and Canada's Summer McIntosh, who earned bronze. McIntosh had been aiming to match Michael Phelps’s record of five individual golds at a single world championship but was denied in this race, despite leading briefly at the 700-meter mark. Ledecky, at 28, remains the oldest competitor in the field and the only woman to win the same individual event at four Olympics, underscoring her exceptional career longevity and dominance. The race highlighted an emerging rivalry, with McIntosh, the 18-year-old Canadian, posing a significant challenge by ending Ledecky’s 13-year unbeaten streak in 2024 and posting one of the fastest times ever. Ledecky’s victory reaffirms her status as the preeminent figure in women's distance swimming and maintains her legacy alongside legends like Michael Phelps.