Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metre freestyle

The US' Katie Ledecky won the event at the previous Olympics in Tokyo, and held the 19 fastest times ever recorded in the event, which were topped by her 15:20.48 world record set in 2018.{{Cite web |last=Penland |first=Spencer |date=2024-07-26 |title=2024 Olympic Previews: Ledecky To Continue Unparalleled Dominance In Women's 1500 Free |url=https://swimswam.com/2024-olympic-previews-ledecky-to-continue-unparalleled-dominance-in-womens-1500-free/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914100403/https://swimswam.com/2024-olympic-previews-ledecky-to-continue-unparalleled-dominance-in-womens-1500-free/ |archive-date=14 September 2024 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}} She won the event at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and held the fastest Olympic qualifying time of 15:26.27 set at the 2023 World Championships.{{cite web |date=20 June 2022 |title=Final results |url=https://www.omegatiming.com/File/00011700000201F30104FFFFFFFFFF01.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620163245/https://www.omegatiming.com/File/00011700000201F30104FFFFFFFFFF01.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2022 |access-date=18 February 2025 |publisher=omegatiming.com}} Italy's Simona Quadrella held the second fastest qualifying time of 15:43.31, and won the event at the 2019 and 2024 World Championships in Ledecky's absence.

Other contenders included Li Bingjie of China, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist and third fastest qualifier; Anastasiya Kirpichnikova of France, the fourth fastest qualifier; Australian Lani Pallister, the 2022 World Championships bronze medallist; and the US' Katie Grimes, the 2022 World Championships silver medallist.

Both SwimSwam and Swimming World predicted Ledecky would win gold and Quadarella would win silver.{{Cite web |last=Rieder |first=David |date=2024-07-23 |title=Olympic Swimming Predictions, Day 5: 100 Freestyle Finals Bookend Busy Middle Night |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/olympic-swimming-predictions-day-5-100-freestyle-finals-bookend-busy-middle-night/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222182200/https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/olympic-swimming-predictions-day-5-100-freestyle-finals-bookend-busy-middle-night/ |archive-date=2024-12-22 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Swimming World |language=en-US}}

{{Further information|Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Qualification}}Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was permitted to enter a maximum of two qualified athletes in each individual event, but only if both of them had attained the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT).{{cite web |date=5 April 2022 |title=Paris 2024 – Swimming Info |url=https://www.fina.org/news/2563896/paris-2024-swimming-info |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208222726/https://www.fina.org/news/2563896/paris-2024-swimming-info |archive-date=2023-02-08 |access-date=12 November 2022 |publisher=World Aquatics}} For this event, the OQT was 16:09.09. World Aquatics then considered athletes qualifying through universality; NOCs were given one event entry for each gender, which could be used by any athlete regardless of qualification time, providing the spaces had not already been taken by athletes from that nation who had achieved the OQT.{{Cite |title=Entries list - Swimming |url=https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2024/07/12/64c5ea6d-ef1b-49fc-a9cf-445966773ae7/OG00459_Swimming_entries_10.07.24.xlsx |access-date=2024-12-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712132646/https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2024/07/12/64c5ea6d-ef1b-49fc-a9cf-445966773ae7/OG00459_Swimming_entries_10.07.24.xlsx |archive-date=2024-07-12 |url-status=live |publisher=World Aquatics}} Finally, the rest of the spaces were filled by athletes who had met the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT), which was 16:13.94 for this event. In total, 14 athletes qualified through achieving the OQT, one athlete qualified through a universality place and two athletes qualified through achieving the OCT.

Three heats (preliminary rounds) took place on 30 July 2024, starting at 11:51.{{Efn|All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)}} The swimmers with the best eight times in the heats advanced to the final.{{Cite web |title=Results |url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/SWM/OG2024_SWM_C73A2_SWMM1500MFR-----------HEAT--------.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815153710/https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/SWM/OG2024_SWM_C73A2_SWMM1500MFR-----------HEAT--------.pdf |archive-date=2024-08-15 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=olympics.com |publisher=International Olympic Committee}} Ledecky qualified with the fastest time of 15:47.43, and Quadarella qualified with the second fastest time of 15:51.19. Pallister withdrew from the event after testing positive for COVID-19, and Grimes did not swim fast enough to qualify for the final.{{Cite web |last=Penland |first=Spencer |date=2024-07-30 |title=2024 Paris Olympics: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap |url=https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-day-4-prelims-live-recap-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115012943/https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-day-4-prelims-live-recap-2/ |archive-date=2025-01-15 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}} Singapore's Gan Ching Hwee set a new national record of 16:10.13 but did not qualify.{{Cite web |last=Race |first=Retta |date=2024-07-31 |title=Paris, 2024 Asia Recap Day 5: Pan Zhanle Becomes China's First-Ever 100 Free Olympic Champion |url=https://swimswam.com/paris-2024-asia-recap-day-5-pan-zhanle-becomes-chinas-first-ever-100-free-olympic-champion/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814031140/https://swimswam.com/paris-2024-asia-recap-day-5-pan-zhanle-becomes-chinas-first-ever-100-free-olympic-champion/ |url-status=live }}

{{external media|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_03QdZXHYcI Women's 1500 metre freestyle final]|width=300px|float=right}}The final took place at 21:13 on 31 July. Ledecky led from beginning to end to win the gold medal with a new Olympic record of 15:30.02.{{Cite web |last=Penland |first=Spencer |date=2024-08-01 |title=2024 Paris Olympics: Day 5 Finals Live Recap |url=https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-day-5-finals-live-recap/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241224160301/https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-day-5-finals-live-recap/ |archive-date=2024-12-24 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}} This was the eighth fastest swim of all time in the event, meaning Ledecky had swum the top 20 performances ever in the event's history.{{Cite web |last=Pelshaw |first=Anya |date=2024-07-31 |title=Katie Ledecky Now Holds Top 20 Performances All-Time In Women's 1500 Freestyle After 15:30.02 |url=https://swimswam.com/katie-ledecky-now-holds-top-20-performances-all-time-in-womens-1500-freestyle-after-1530-02/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812133957/https://swimswam.com/katie-ledecky-now-holds-top-20-performances-all-time-in-womens-1500-freestyle-after-1530-02/ |archive-date=12 August 2024 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}}

Kirpichnikova, Germany's Isabel Gose and Quadarella were close to each other for most the race. Kirpichnikova touched first to win the silver medal with a new French record of 15:40.35, while Gose finished with a new German record of 15:41.16 for the bronze. Quadarella finished fourth with 15:44.05. It was Kirpichnikova and Gose's first Olympic medals.{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=Bradley |date=2024-07-31 |title=2024 Paris Olympics Day 5 Finals: Fun Facts |url=https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-day-5-finals-fun-facts/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114182044/https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-day-5-finals-fun-facts/ |archive-date=2025-01-14 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}}

Ledecky's gold brought her to a total of 8 Olympic golds and 12 Olympic medals in her career. She was tied for the American female Olympic swimmer with the best set of medals. Her win also made her the first female swimmer to win gold at four Olympics.{{Cite news |last=Graham |first=Bryan Armen |date=2024-07-31 |title=USA’s Katie Ledecky makes Olympic history with gold in 1500m freestyle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/31/katie-ledecky-1500m-freestyle-paris-olympics-2024-result |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115010845/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/31/katie-ledecky-1500m-freestyle-paris-olympics-2024-result |archive-date=2025-01-15 |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

{{Notelist}}

• {{Cite web |last=Li |first=Yanyan |date=2024-08-04 |title=Paris 2024, North America Day 8: Ledecky Four-Peats, But Is It The End Of An Era? |url=https://swimswam.com/paris-2024-north-america-day-8-ledecky-four-peats-but-is-it-the-end-of-an-era/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}}

{{reflist}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 1500 m Freestyle Women}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics - Women's 1500 metre freestyle}}

Women's 01500 metre freestyle

Olympics

Category:Women's events at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:2024 in women's swimming