by In one of the most consecutive non -Olympic races for years, the great swimming of all time Katie Ledecky could face an unprecedented challenge on Saturday of the Canadian teenager McIntosh in an event that the American has for more than a decade.
The pair will participate in the 800 -meter swimming final of the World Swimming Championships, in a race which will be broadcast live on Peacock at 8:21 p.m. Local time in Singapore (8:21 a.m.)
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“It will be the largest breed of this century, men or women, from outside the Olympic format,” Rowdy Gaines told NBC News. “I don’t know how you can get bigger than that.”
Gaines qualified the largest swimmer of all time and McIntosh the best contemporary performer, saying that the two judgments are “not even close”.
Ledecky, 28, had 14 Olympic medals on his house at home, including nine gold color. McIntosh, 18, won three gold medals and a Paris silver last year.
“Katie is the greatest of all time, absolutely, and it is not even close,” said Gaines. “(McIntosh) is a global swimmer of the year at the end of the year, no matter what is happening in the 800 (Saturday). She is still the world swimmer of the year, nobody is even close.”
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The two swimmers crossed their qualification sleeves Friday afternoon to officially qualify for the final on Saturday.
LEDECKY will be on track 4 on Saturday, with McIntosh in 3 and Australian Lani Pallister in 5.
The version of this long competition does not seem to disturb McIntosh.
“Honestly, I felt much better than I thought that I was going this morning,” she said after her 800 heat. “I have recovered very well. I mean, we are day 6? So, I feel really promising.”
On the line of this millennial vs gen z, the battle is the adhesion of the death of Ledecky on the free 800. His domination of the breed predates the recent residence of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at 24 Sussex and the second mandate of former occupant Barack Obama of the former occupant of the White House.
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The owner of Maryland and the co -owner of the New York Islanders, Jon Ledecky, took 800 Gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, 2016 in Rio, 2021 in Tokyo and last summer near Paris.
She is the only woman to win the same individual event at four Olympic Games, in any sport. The only other swimmer to make such a four peat was the American legend Michael Phelps, who took the 200 swimming individuals in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
LEDECKY also won the 800 times free six times in the world championships dating from 2013.
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Ledecky said she knew that this Sept Peat 800 potential will not be a cake.
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“It will take a racing devil (to win),” she told NBC Sports earlier this week after taking bronze in 400 free, finishing more than two seconds from first place McIntosh.
“I mean I have to bring everything,” she said. “(McIntosh is) on fire and it’s going to be a big race.”
The air of 800 from Ledecky was worked last year when McIntosh, then 17, first touched the wall at the southern section championships in the southern zone in Orlando, Florida, February 8.
McIntosh chose to swim in the 800 in France to focus on other events while it was taking gold in 200 butterflies, 200 individual swimming and 400 individual swimming to become one of the stars in small groups last summer.
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The 1984 Canadian Olympic Nateur, from 1984, undertook to swim the 800 in Los Angeles and Splash against Ledecky on Saturday could serve as an enticing overview of this potential confrontation of the Olympics.
Ledecky has shown no signs of slowdown. Earlier this week, she picked up gold in the free 1,500, in addition to this 400 bronze and free silver in the free 4×200 relay.
McIntosh has already won three gold medals this week in this free 400, 200 IM and 200 flies.
This article was initially published on NBCNews.com
