Katie Ledecky Eyes First Gold at Paris Olympics, Tops 1,500-Meter Freestyle Preliminaries

Katie Ledecky tops the 1,500-meter freestyle preliminaries at the Paris Olympics, aiming for her first gold medal. She prepares for the final with Simona Quadarella as her main competitor. Léon Marchand also takes on a tough double event while Jack Alexy shines in the men's 100 freestyle heats.

Katie Ledecky kicked off her quest for gold at the Paris Olympics by dominating the preliminaries of the women's 1,500-meter freestyle on Tuesday, finishing with a time of 15 minutes, 47.43 seconds. She leads the field into Wednesday's final, with Italy's Simona Quadarella as her closest challenger.

Ledecky, who secured bronze in the 400 freestyle, aims for her 12th Olympic medal, potentially tying her with American swimming legends Dara Torres, Jenny Thompson, and Natalie Coughlin for the most Olympic medals by a female swimmer. 'I have a lot of support back home,' Ledecky said, expressing her eagerness for the races ahead. Katie Grimes, another American contender, failed to advance after placing 10th.

Léon Marchand of France took on a challenging double event, marking a third-best time in the 200 breaststroke and a sixth-fastest in the 200 butterfly preliminaries. The French crowd's energy has been a significant boost for him, Marchand said. In other heats, American Jack Alexy topped the men's 100 freestyle, followed by France's Maxime Grousset.

(With inputs from agencies.)