CNN
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A week after breaking the 1500m short course record, Katie Ledecky broke another – this time in the 800m as she rode to victory at the FINA World Cup in Indianapolis.
The American shaved almost two seconds off Mireia Belmonte’s previous record of 7:59.34, setting a new best time of 7:57.42.
Ledecky nearly broke that record last week when she finished the 1500m in record time with a split time of 8:00.58, one second shy of the world record.
“I pushed myself a lot after last week,” Ledecky said, according to the website of FINA, the sport’s world governing body.
“It’s great to have all these fans here to cheer us on. It’s good to have some benchmarks (in short).
And like her 1500m swimming record, Ledecky led from the first turn, still ahead of the world record pace, and never seemed to be bothered by her competitors.
Only Canada’s Summer McIntosh stayed within reach of Ledecky, but she too pulled away from the American in the second half of the race and eventually finished second, nearly 10 seconds behind.
“I was putting pressure on myself after my race in Toronto. I would have liked to do it in Toronto. It’s always nice when you hear a bit of the crowd. It’s a fun way to start fall and kick off the season,” added Ledecky.
“We don’t usually start the season with an international-level game, so it’s a bit different for me.”
