On a cold, damp night at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Katie Ledecky rewrote the record books once more. The American distance star smashed her own 400-metre freestyle world record at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, touching the wall in 3:58.37. She shaved nearly a half-second off the mark set only weeks earlier at the U.S. national championships.
A surge on the final length
Ledecky tracked world-record pace through the 300-metre mark before falling just behind before the turn. She then roared home with closing splits of 30.33 and 29.30 seconds to reclaim control. The swim became the first world record set at the newly constructed outdoor pool, where a torrential downpour had softened to a drizzle.
Her time smashed the Australian All-Comers record of 4:02.61, a mark held by Laure Manaudou since 2007. Her own Pan Pacific championship record of 4:03.09, established that morning, was erased with ease. Cierra Runge took silver over six seconds back in 4:04.55, while New Zealand's Lauren Boyle placed third in 4:05.33.
Four world records in one summer
The victory gave the 17-year-old her fourth gold medal of the meet. It marked the sixth time she had set a world record since the start of the previous summer's world championships. That season alone she had already taken down the 800 and 1500-metre freestyle marks at The Woodlands Senior Invite.
Already the world-record holder across the 400, 800 and 1500-metre distances entering the meet, Ledecky's consistency overshadowed even Michael Phelps, who claimed his first individual gold since London 2012 on the same programme. She told reporters afterwards, "It's a great feeling. It never really gets old. I have some long-term goals. We're not quite there yet, but we'll get there."
The record stood as a step, not a summit. The following evening she closed the championships by breaking the 1500-metre world record by six full seconds, and one distant day she would win her first international gold on home soil.
