Olympics Briefing: A Swimmer’s Inevitability

Katie Ledecky always wins the 1,500-meter freestyle. It's still fun to watch.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 1, 2024 Follow along during the day's action with live coverage from The Athletic. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times By Andrew Keh Reporting from Nanterre, France Inevitability, in sports, is a funny concept. On Wednesday night, I arrived at the swimming pool inside Paris La Défense Arena knowing exactly what I was about to see. I knew I would watch the women's 1,500-meter freestyle race. And I knew Katie Ledecky would win. As my colleague Jenny Vrentas pointed out this week, the last time Ledecky fell short of first place in a race of this distance was 14 years ago, the summer before her junior year of high school. These days, she wins these things by multiple body lengths. Where's the joy in watching an event with no uncertainty, no real feeling of jeopardy? I initially asked myself this question in 2016, at the first Olympics I covered, when I was assigned to report on Usain Bolt's final individual race at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. We already know how fast each one of these guys go, I thought. We already know who's going to win. I watched. Bolt destroyed the competition. I was riveted. It was a performance. We were witnessing excellence. He was an athlete and a virtuoso. On Wednesday, Ledecky strode out with the same invincible aura, a superhero in a swimsuit. Within the first two laps, she was a full body length ahead of her competitors, and her lead only grew from there. And yet the action was engrossing. Intellectually, I was aware of the huge amount of exertion propelling her body while it torpedoed through the water. But from my vantage point in the stands, it all seemed so effortless. Roughly an hour later, Ledecky was on the podium, palming the gold medal draped over her chest. She had tied the record for the most Olympic medals won by an American woman. I knew it would happen, too. It was inevitable. And it was pretty cool to see. TODAY'S TOP STORY Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times The Thai Women Punching Their Way Out of Poverty Boxing is a national passion in Thailand, offering a path to the Olympics and lucrative careers in a country with one of the world's widest income divides. By Hannah Beech, Muktita Suhartono and Lauren DeCicca MEDAL COUNT     GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL United States 5 13 12 30 France 8 10 8 26 China 9 7 3 19 Britain 6 6 5 17 Australia 7 6 3 16 Japan 8 3 4 15 See all medal counts Source: International Olympic Committee Results as of July 31, 6:15 p.m. E.T. Welcome to Day 6 The track and field competition kicks off, finally, with men's and women's racewalking (otherwise known as my New York City commute). A tad more marquee: the women's gymnastics all-around final, which means Simone Biles, Simone Biles, Simone Biles (but also Sunisa Lee). There are also four gold medals up for grabs in swimming, including the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, with Ledecky gunning for her 13th (!) career medal. The Olympics are available on NBC and Peacock in the United States. MORE OLYMPICS COVERAGE Track Keeps Banning Drug Cheats. It Worries That Other Sports Are Not. Track and field's antidoping arm, the Athletics Integrity Unit, has announced a string of cases in recent months. Is that the sign of a problem, or proof that its approach is working? By Tariq Panja Why the Top Gymnast in France Is Competing for Algeria A bitter fight with the French gymnastics federation threatened the Olympic hopes of Kaylia Nemour. Dual nationality offered a way out. By Laura Cappelle and James Hill How the Olympics Break Athletes' Bodies With years of fractures, surgeries, hardware and pain, Olympians can list their injuries as readily as their achievements. By James Wagner How to Watch Olympic Games for Free in Paris The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris are expected to draw millions of spectators. There are more than 750 events, some can be watched for free. By Ségolène Le Stradic, Karen Hanley, Rebecca Suner and James Surdam Some of our Olympics coverage — including these dispatches — will also be available in Spanish. You can read them here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Olympics Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving Olympics Briefing, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018