Katie Ledecky [1] was favored to win the gold medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle [2] race in Tokyo, and on day five of the Games, she delivered. Ledecky placed first in the event with a time of 15:37.34, while American swimmer Erica Sullivan touched the wall second with a time of 15:41.41. The Tokyo Olympics marks the first time women have competed in the 1,500 in the history of the Games, although the race has been a men's event since the 1908 Summer Olympics [3].

The 24-year-old, who made her Olympic debut in London at just 15 years old, qualified for the finals with a time of 15 minutes, 35.35 seconds, and set the world record in 2018 with a time of 15 minutes, 20.48 seconds. The 1,500-meter freestyle win is Ledecky's first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics. She won silver in the 400-meter freestyle, bringing her total career medal count [4] to eight, six of which are gold.

Scroll through to see photos of Ledecky swimming her race and the historic moment she won.