After gold medals in three other events, Ledecky settled for silver, meaning her bid to win six gold medals in Budapest is over.
BUDAPEST — For the first time at the world championships, Katie Ledecky knows what it is like to lose.
Bidding to become only the second female swimmer to win six golds at a single world championships, Ledecky settled for silver in the 200-meter freestyle Wednesday evening when Federica Pellegrini of Italy claimed a stunning victory on the final lap.
Pellegrini, the world-record holder, avenged a close defeat at the hands of Ledecky two years ago in Kazan, Russia. This time, it was the Italian touching first in 1 minute 54.73 seconds.
Ledecky and Emma McKeon of Australia tied for the silver at 1: 55.18.
“I knew it was going to be a tough field and that I’ d have to have a really good race, and I just didn’ t really have it today, ” Ledecky said. “I can’ t complain really with the silver medal.”
While Pellegrini covered her mouth in delight and climbed atop a lane rope to celebrate, Ledecky stared blankly at the scoreboard.
She had never seen a “2” beside her name at the world championships.
But there it was in Budapest, where Ledecky’s unbeaten streak in the second-biggest swimming competition after the Olympics finally came to an end.
“I didn’ t really feel at the end that I had that extra gear that I normally have, ” Ledecky, 20, said. “I didn’ t really see much for the last 50, so I was just trying to put together a good race.”
Ledecky had been 12 for 12 over the last three championships, including three golds this year already. But her most audacious schedule yet — six freestyle events covering distances ranging from 100 meters (on a relay) to 1,500 (the grueling metric mile) — finally caught up with her.
Missy Franklin will remain the only female swimmer to win six events at the world championships, but Ledecky has the most wins among women over all. Twelve golds leave her trailing only her fellow Americans Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte for the most victories.
Ledecky will be a heavy gold medal favorite in her final two events, the 800 free and the 4×200 free relay.
“I know this race will really motivate me moving forward and the rest of the week as well, ” she said.
Losing to Pellegrini, 28, was hardly an embarrassment.
She became the first swimmer in the history of the championships to capture seven medals in a single individual event. Pellegrini’s incredible run in the 200 free began at the 2005 worlds in Montreal, where she grabbed a silver. She was third in 2007 at Melbourne, then won the event at back-to-back worlds, including a world-record performance in 2009 (1: 52.98) that still stands from the rubber-suit era.
Pellegrini was runner-up at the last two worlds, finishing behind Franklin in 2013 at Barcelona and Ledecky two years ago.
Now, she is back on top.
“I honestly thought the one to win the race would be Katie, ” Pellegrini said.
“And, ” she quickly added, “it wasn’ t.”
McKeon got off to a blistering start, making the first turn more than a half-second below the world-record pace, while Ledecky — normally a slow starter because of her distance background — was lagging in fifth.
Ledecky rallied to second by the midway point, and was just one-hundredth of a second behind the Aussie when they made the final flip. But the two leaders, having spent so much energy dueling with each other, didn’ t have anything left for the final lap.
Pellegrini sure did.
Her closing 50 was a blistering 28.82 — nearly a full second faster than both Ledecky and McKeon.
“Everything seemed to be in slow motion to me in the water, ” Pellegrini said. “At 150 meters on the turn we were all there, so I closed my eyes. But I didn’ t think I was ahead in the last strokes. I was seeing the splashes. ”
She paused for a moment, as if trying to convince herself that it really happened.
“It’s incredible, ” Pellegrini said. “I didn’ t believe I would make it. I still can’ t believe it.”
