US superstar swimmer Katie Ledecky surpassed Michael Phelps for most career individual world swimming titles on Saturday after winning her 16th gold medal.
Ledecky also became the first-ever swimmer to win six consecutive world championships in the same event.
The 26-year-old earned her 16th world title after winning the 800-meter freestyle in a time of 8:08.87 at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. She defeated second-place finisher, Li Bingjie of China, by 4.44 seconds.
After the race, Ledecky reflected on her achievements.
Its special. I really didnt even know I was going to achieve that until people started telling me. Its cool, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist said.
Im happy with that swim. I wanted it to be a little better, but Ill take it. Im really pleased with how the week went.
On Tuesday, Ledecky tied Phelps when she dominated the 1,500-meter freestyle for her fifth world title in that event.