In an Olympic preliminary heat, Katie Ledecky posted the eighth-fasted time in the history of women's 800-meter freestyle.
She's incomparable.
Ledecky's 8:12.86 prelim swim on Thursday afternoon set an Olympic record. And it honestly looked like she was barely trying. She blasted the rest of her heat, a heat that posted the four fastest times of the four heats run on Thursday. Ledecky outpaced second-place finisher Boglarka Kapas of Hungary by almost seven seconds.
Ledecky owns the world record in 800-meter freestyle. She's broken her own record four times in the past three years. It currently stands at 8:06.68; Ledecky set the record in Austin, Texas, in January. She is expected to break that record when she swims in the final.
Katie Ledecky broke #Olympics record in 800-meter freestyle in prelims with an 8:12.86. She has the 12 fastest times EVER in the event.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 11, 2016
When she won the gold in this event in 2012 in London, as a 15-year-old, she touched the wall in 8:14.63. Such a swim now would be considered a disappointment for Ledecky, who's well on her way to becoming the greatest freestyle swimmer ever.
Another American -- Leah Smith -- qualified for Thursday night's semis with an 8:21.43 swim.
