Katie Ledecky wins gold in women's 400 free, breaks her own world record

RIO DE JANEIRO — At this point, all that’s left for Katie Ledecky to chase is history.

So she does.

The 19-year-old swimming superstar entered these Olympics as the current world-record holder in the 400, 800 and 1,500 meter freestyles. The challenge when she swims those events here? To beat her past, slower self.

On Sunday night, she did just that, knocking nearly two seconds off the world record in the 400 free to secure her first gold medal of these Games. She won in 3:56.46, followed by Britain's Jazz Carlin and American Leah Smith, who were almost five seconds behind.

It also marked Ledecky's second medal in two days; she earned silver Saturday night as part of the women’s 4x100 free relay.

Ledecky’s Olympic program is far from finished. She’ll swim individually in the 200 and 800 frees, the latter of which she won in London in perhaps the biggest upset of the 2012 Games. She’ll also likely anchor the women’s 4x200 free relay, bringing her potential medal total to five. If she wins the 200 and 800 frees, she’ll become the first female Olympian to win three individual freestyle gold medals in a single Olympics since Debbie Meyer did it in 1968.

That’s the kind of history that’s within Ledecky’s grasp this week. That’s the kind of swimmer she is.

“You can tell she is very goal-oriented, and for me it brought me back to kind of what I was like way, way, way back in the day,” 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps said. “Every time she gets in the water, it’s like a world record. So she is improving so much and I think she is just trying to push that barrier, and I think it’s pretty exciting to watch her do that.”