Tokyo (AFP)
American Katie Ledecky was crowned Olympic 800m champion on Saturday, winning her seventh title and second at the Tokyo Games and maintaining her long-distance dominance after giving in in the 200 and 400m.
Having started in the lead, the swimmer from Maryland won in 8:12:57 after widening the gap at each length, ahead of her young Australian rival Ariarne Titmus (8: 13.83) and the Italian Simone Quadarella (8: 18.35 ).
Ledecky, who was aiming for five titles in Tokyo, therefore left with two gold medals and three setbacks in the final: the first two against Titmus in 400m on Monday (2nd) and 200m on Wednesday (5th), then against the Chinese relay of the 4x200m Thursday (2nd).
But the American has not released her grip on the distance that had revealed her at the 2012 Olympics in London, at only 15 years old, and of which she has held the world record since her title in Rio (8: 04.79) .
Above all, these contrasting Games revealed her strength of character, which had above all given the impression until then of unchallenged domination, with 15 world champion titles.
Less than an hour after her defeat in the 200m on Wednesday, she plunged back to win the first women's 1,500m in Olympic history, letting her tears escape in the mixed zone.
And the next day, over 4x200m, she was very close to snatching the gold on a last spectacular stint, taken in third position, to bring the Americans back to a breath of the Chinese.
Dazzling during her titles over 400 and then 200 m from her first Games, the young Australian Ariarne Titmus for her part significantly improved her personal best over 800 m (08: 15.57 during the selections in June).
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