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USATSI

American swimmer Katie Ledecky finished out the year with the top women's 1500m freestyle time in the world with a victory on Saturday at the US Open in Atlanta. She clocked in at 15:35.98, ahead of her competition by a whopping 29.97 seconds. Australian swimmer Kiah Melverton came in second with a time of 16:05.95.

The swimmer is no stranger to occupying the top spot in this race and she owns the top nine fastest times in history in this category. This one landed in the eighth spot.

Ledecky broke the world record in the 1500m freestyle in May of 2018 at the TYR Pro Series with a time of 15:20.48 in Indianapolis.

Despite the notable speed and her history of breaking records, Ledecky says time wasnot something she was focusing on ahead of the race.

Via NBC Sports:

"I didn't have time on my mind at all today. I just wanted to have a consistent swim. That's probably the best mile that I've had in a while."

The 22-year-old swimmer has not lost a 1500m race in nine years, and is rightfully known as a swimmer who dominates that competition. 

Due to illness, Ledecky was unable to compete in the 1500m free final at the world championships, giving Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella an easier path to the title. Quadarella finished at 15:40.89, which was the fastest time in the world in 2019, until now. 

The 1500m freestyle is being introduced at the Olympics in Tokyo, and Ledecky is expected to add that race to her lineup. At the Rio Olympics, her individual lineup included the 200m, 400m and 800m frees. 

The Olympics trials in June will determine if she makes the cut. She needs to be in the top two in each category to qualify.