RIO DE JANEIRO — Katie Ledecky’s grandmothers, Kathleen Hagen and Berta Ledecky, are not attending the 2016 Olympics. Her 10 aunts and uncles and 13 of her 15 cousins also stayed home. But those left behind will not miss a stroke of Ledecky’s attempt to win the 800-meter freestyle and become only the second swimmer, after Debbie Meyer, to capture the 200, 400 and 800 distances at the same Games.
The distance freestyles used to be swimming’s equivalent of baseball’s seventh-inning stretch: a convenient time to take a commercial break or make a trip to the restroom or concession stand.