Swimming: Ledecky beats McIntosh in classic 800m freestyle final at world championships

Katie Ledecky beat Summer McIntosh to win a classic 800m freestyle final at the world championships on Saturday (Aug 2) as the record-breaking United States hit back at their critics. On a Super Saturday for the embattled Americans, who have been struggling with illness in Singapore, Ledecky won her seventh career world gold in the event she has made her own. But the legendary American was pushed to the limit, touching the wall in a championship-record 8min 05.62sec, ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and McIntosh (8:07.29). It was Canadian sensation McIntosh's first defeat of the championships and ended her bid to match Michael Phelps as the only swimmer ever to win five individual golds at a single world championships.

The 18-year-old has already won three golds this week in Singapore and will go for number four in the 400m medley on Sunday.

"The feeling right now is something I never want to feel again," a forlorn McIntosh said.

Ledecky, 28, had too much staying power for her younger rival, with Pallister also right in the mix until the final lunge for the line.

"They pushed me all the way," said Ledecky, a four-time Olympic champion in the event. “I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just kept telling myself to trust my legs.”

The United States team, under the cosh after criticism from Olympic greats Phelps and Ryan Lochte, won three golds on the penultimate day of competition.

They lead the medals table from Australia with eight golds following victories on Saturday for Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh and their mixed 4x100m

freestyle relay team -- the latter in a world-record time.

Walsh completed a butterfly double, romping to victory in the 50m.

The American, who won the 100m butterfly earlier in the week, touched the wall in 24.83sec, beating Australia's Alexandria Perkins (25.31) and Belgium's Roos Vanotterdijk (25.43).

Walsh said she felt "fragile" before her 100m win after coming down with a stomach bug that has swept through the American camp -- and triggered questions from Phelps and Lochte about the management of the team.

She was back to full strength for the fast and furious 50m, which will become an Olympic event for the first time at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

"I'm very proud," said the 22-year-old, calling it a "rocky" competition for her despite the double success.

She labelled the criticism from Phelps and Lochte "frustrating".

To cap off a golden day for the Americans, they took gold in 3:18.48sec in the relay, beating Australia's previous leading time of 3:18.83 set in 2023.

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