By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam
The world record that Katie Ledecky set in the 800 freestyle last Saturday during the Fort Lauderdale stop of the 2025 Pro Swim Series continues to captivate the swimming community. Each day, new statistics emerge that elevate both the record and Ledecky’s legacy to even greater heights.
At 28 years old, Ledecky becomes the fifth-oldest female swimmer to set a long course world record. Ahead of her are three sprinters specializing in 50-meter events and one swimmer who set a 400 IM record back in 1955.
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What’s striking is that none of these athletes specialized in distance events like the 800 or 1500 freestyle—except for Ledecky. In fact, among women in long course meters, the next oldest to set a world record in the 800 freestyle was American Lenore Kight, who achieved this feat in 1935 at the age of 23.
Expanding the scope to include short course meters and male swimmers introduces other names, yet Ledecky still stands out. Only one swimmer older than her has set a world record in distance events: Australia’s Grant Hackett, who, in 2008, established a short course world record in the men’s 800 freestyle that stood for 15 years. At the time, he was 28 years and 72 days old—just 25 days older than Ledecky was when she set her latest world record.
Oldest swimmers to set a world record in distance events
Swimmer Event Course Time Year Age Grant Hackett (AUS) Men’s 800 SCM 7:23.42 2008 28 years, 72 days Katie Ledecky (USA) Women’s 800 LCM 8:04.12 2025 28 years, 47 days Lauren Boyle (NZL) Women’s 1500 SCM 15:22.68 2014 26 years, 238 days Vladimir Salnikov (URS) Men’s 800 LCM 7:50.64 1986 26 years, 44 days Arne Borg (SWE) Men’s 1500 LCM 19:07.20 1927 26 years, 15 days Katie Ledecky (USA) Women’s 800 SCM 7:57.42 2022 25 years, 233 days Katie Ledecky (USA) Women’s 1500 SCM 15:08.24 2022 25 years, 226 days Murray Rose (AUS) Men’s 1500 LCM 17:01.80 1964 25 years, 209 days Sarah Kohler (GER) Women’s 1500 SCM 15:18.01 2019 25 years, 149 days Grant Hackett (AUS) Men’s 800 LCM 7:38.65 2005 25 years, 79 days Michael Burton (USA) Men’s 1500 LCM 15:52.58 1972 25 years, 63 days Arne Borg (SWE) Men’s 1500 LCM 20:04.4 1926 25 years, 0 days Bobby Finke (USA) Men’s 1500 LCM 14:30.67 2024 24 years, 272 days Florian Wellbrock (GER) Men’s 1500 SCM 14:06.88 2021 24 years, 124 days Mireia Belmonte (ESP) Women’s 1500 SCM 15:19.71 2014 24 years, 32 days Arne Borg (SWE) Men’s 800 LCM 10:37.40 1925 24 years, 7 days Lenore Kight (USA) Women’s 800 LCM 11:34.40 1935 23 years, 298 daysInterestingly, Ledecky appears twice more on this list, with two short course world records set in 2022 at the age of 25.
Another compelling statistic relates to the time span between her first and most recent world records. This week, Barry Revzin provided an insightful analysis of Ledecky’s longevity. According to his article, the longest interval between a swimmer’s first and last world records belongs to Sarah Sjostrom, spanning 14 years. Ledecky follows closely with nearly 12 years between her first world record (1500 freestyle in 2013) and her latest in the 800 freestyle.
However, when focusing on world records in the same event, Ledecky is unparalleled. Between her first world record in the 800 freestyle, set during the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, and her current record, 11 years and 273 days have elapsed. The next closest is France’s Franck Esposito, who set world records in the 200 butterfly (short course meters) over a span of just under 11 years.
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Curiously, Sjostrom doesn’t appear on this particular list, as the world record she set in 2009 was in the 100-meter butterfly, and 14 years later, in 2023, she broke the record in the 50-meter freestyle.
Historically, no swimmer—male or female, in long or short course pools—has broken world records in events over 200 meters after the age of 30. As we look ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, could Ledecky be the first to achieve this milestone?
Read the full story on SwimSwam: A Closer Look At Katie Ledecky’s Longevity
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