Ledecky, who will defend her Olympic title in the 800 freestyle later this week, increased her stroke rate for the two-lap race. Ledecky’s victory is the first gold medal of these Olympics for American swimmers, and it came the day after she made her Olympic sprint debut, anchoring the U.S. 4x100-meter freestyle relay that earned the silver medal and set an American record. Bob Bowman, the men’s coach, credited Ledecky with an assist. The foursome of Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian beat France and the favorites, Australia. “When you see an otherworldly swim like that the guys know they have to step up,” Bowman said.

Source: New York Times August 08, 2016 02:07 UTC