TOKYO — Katie Ledecky failed here on Wednesday, and then, 71 minutes after perhaps the most disappointing swim of her glittering international career, she dove into the pool again and made history.
Hours after failing to medal for the first time at a major international meet, Ledecky won the first-ever women’s 1500-meter freestyle at the Olympics. She swam 30 laps of the Tokyo Aquatics Center pool in 15:37.34, more than four seconds ahead of fellow American Erica Sullivan, to claim her first gold of these Games.
Sullivan, a 20-year-old from Nevada, claimed Silver. Germany’s Sarah Kohler won bronze.