Katie Ledecky breaks U.S. mark in 1,500-meter freestyle

Katie Ledecky took on the most grueling challenge of her swimming career and won three times.

The Maryland swimmer pulled away in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle final at the Saturday at the national swimming championships in Indianapolis, winning in 15 minutes 47.15 seconds, posting the fourth fastest time in world history and shattering the one of the oldest long-course championship records in the American book.

Janet Evans set the previous mark in March 1988 when she finished in 15:52.10. Twenty-five years, two months, three days later, Ledecky cut that time by nearly 5 full seconds to win another U.S. national title and give herself a chance to become the first American woman to swim the four longest freestyle events at a world championship.

Ledecky competed in four races at the IUPUI Natatorium, winning national championships in the three longest events — the 400, 800 and 1,500 free — in astoundingly easy fashion.

She beat Chloe Sutton, one of her 2012 Olympic teammates, by 0.83 of a second in the 800 free Tuesday. Ledecky is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in that event.

She coated to another easy win, 21/2 seconds over Sutton in the 400 free Friday. Ledecky’s time of 4:04.05 was a personal best and the third best in the world this year.

Then Saturday, she was under world-record pace for the first 600. Though she faded over the final 900, she still broke Evans’ mark and produced the world’s fastest time of the year just one day after Jazmin Carlin of Britain went 15:47.26. Ledecky was so far ahead when the race ended, she had time to look at the scoreboard, pump her fist and still watch the rest of the field trying to reach the wall. Chloe Sutton was second in 16:07.75, an astounding victory margin of 20.6 seconds.

The only minor blemish on an otherwise perfect week was Wednesday’s second-place finish in the 200 free, finishing behind America’s other teenage star, Missy Franklin, and ahead of another Olympic gold medalist, Shannon Vreeland.

Natalie Coughlin, the 30-year-old three-time Olympian, barely won the 50 free title over a rising star nearly half her age. Coughlin finished in 24.97 seconds. Sixteen-year-old Simone Manuel was second in 25.01 seconds, breaking the national age group record for the second time in one day — a record Franklin had held.

The winners of each event automatically qualify for the world championships next month.

Nathan Adrian started the week by winning the 100 free and ended it by taking the men’s 50 free title in a race that featured five Olympians, including American record-holder Cullen Jones. Adrian won in 21.47 seconds, tying Garrett Weber-Gale’s long-course championship record and posting the world’s best time of the year. Anthony Ervin (21.70) and Josh Schneider (21.87) were second and third with times that also cracked the world’s top 10.

The night’s other feature attraction was Ryan Lochte, the world record-holder in the 200 individual medley. He was just 0.12 seconds off that pace after 150 meters but faded over the final 50 and settled for his third win of the week in 1:55.44. Conor Dwyer finished second in 1:57.74.

Caitlin Leverenz won the 200 IM in 2:10.13. Elizabeth Beisel was second in 2:12.11 and Melanie Margalis was third in 2:12.34.

And Connor Jaeger pulled off a sweep of the men’s longest distance events by winning the 800 free in U.S. Open-record time of 7:47.27. Michael McBroom finished second in 7:14.13 — a time that would have been good enough to break the U.S. Open mark.

ETC.

NASCAR race is rescheduled

Rain Saturday night forced NASCAR officials to postpone the Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta until Sunday. The 400-mile event was rescheduled for Sunday at noon.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start on the pole in a Chevy alongside Carl Edwards’ Ford.

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Obviously won the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile by 31/4 lengths at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Joe Talamo, Obviously ran a mile on the turf course in 1:32.86. The win pushed the 6-year-old gelding’s earnings to $848,361 and landed him a berth in the Breeders’ Cup.

The Irish-bred Obviously paid $2.60, $2.20 and $2.10 for his eighth victory in 15 starts.

Za Approval returned $3.80 and $3, and Wilkinson pad $3.80 to show.

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Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma was selected by for USA Hockey as coach of the U.S. men’s hockey team at the 2014 Winter Olympics. He hasn’t coached at the international level, but team officials are hoping the free-flowing style he teaches translates well to the wider rinks that await in Sochi, Russia in February.

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Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem played through much of the second half of Miami’s season with a torn right meniscus, and he told the Associated Press that surgery will be required to repair the previously undisclosed injury.

Haslem averaged 3.9 points in 75 regular-season games this past season for the Heat. Haslem and Dwyane Wade are the only players who have been part of all three of Miami’s NBA championship clubs.

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Indianapolis Colts safety Joe Lefeged was arrested early Saturday in Washington, D.C., after officers found an unregistered semiautomatic handgun in the car he was riding in, police said.

Lefeged was a front-seat passenger in a Chevy Camaro that fled a traffic stop for speeding in northeast Washington just after midnight.

Lefeged and another passenger were caught when they tried to run from the car in different directions, police said. The driver got away.