“Pure happiness,” said Ledecky, who also won gold in the 800-meter freestyle at the London Olympics when she was 15. On the men’s side, the U.S. held off France to win gold in the 400 freestyle relay. Dana Vollmer, who won gold in the event four years ago and returned to swimming after having a child 16 months ago, placed third. If the seven other swimmers had been anywhere close, the energy Ledecky so easily mustered for the final surge would've been crushing. She positioned herself to challenge the world record in the final 50 meters — this is a frequent theme — but missed it by fourth-tenths of a second.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 08, 2016 05:13 UTC