Another day, another milestone for Katie Ledecky, who won her second medal, and first gold, of the Rio Games on Sunday night in the 400-meter freestyle. Ledecky, 19, lowered her two-year-old world record with a clocking of 3 minutes 56.46 seconds, becoming the first woman to break 3:58.
She was the first to surpass 3:59 when she set the previous mark, a 3:58.37 from the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships.
Only two women have gone under four minutes: Ledecky and Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, who twice accomplished the feat in 2009 while wearing the high-tech buoyant suits that since have been banned.