Katie Ledecky dominates in 800-meter freestyle at U.S. Olympic trials

The eight-minute blitz through the pool at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials Saturday would have represented a career-changing moment for any other female swimmer.

Katie Ledecky is different.

When the 19-year-old springs off a starting block for a distance race, the question isn’t whether she’s going to win, but whether the inevitable victory will demolish another world record.

That’s why Ledecky stood dripping wet in the mixed-zone after recording the third-fastest 800-meter freestyle in history and listed what she could have done better in her final competition before next month’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She owns the 10 fastest times in the event, including the world record set in January, and is usually so far ahead of other competitors that it looks as if she’s swimming alone. But there’s always something to improve.

“I did what I needed to do here and it set me up to do what I wanted to do in Rio,” said Ledecky, who also won the 200- and 400-meter freestyle at the trials. “I think I’m really excited to get back to work this week and see if I can get a little faster.”

Her arms were tired after swimming three heats in the unfamiliar 100 free, where she finished seventh, during the previous two days.

Her legs weren’t in the rhythm of her stroke.

But Ledecky still touched the wall in 8 minutes 10.32 seconds, nearly 10 seconds in front of runner-up Leah Smith. The third-best time in the world this year couldn’t even get close to Ledecky.

“This meet I’ve been trying to inch a little bit closer to racing the leader,” said Smith, who dropped four seconds off her personal best, “so I’d say it’s help to get faster to race these people.”

That’s the best competitors have been able to do against Ledecky: inch closer. Such is the challenge of an athlete who makes history look routine.

“She’s direct and fresh and amazing,” said Janet Evans, the four-time Olympic gold medalist who became one of the world’s best distance swimmers in the 1980s and 1990s. “In the pool, clearly it speaks for itself. There’s almost no words. Watching her take it out and hold it is amazing.”

After Ledecky cruised to a preliminary victory Friday in 8:10.91, and received a postrace hug from Evans, the idea of dropping about five seconds in the final to set a world record seemed within reach.

No world records have been set during the eight-day trials, which conclude Sunday, and only two swimmers have recorded the top times in the world in their events. One came in Ledecky’s near-world-record win in the 400 free. Ledecky’s final race at the trials looked like the best chance at breaking through the barrier.

As fans whirled white towels above their heads, Ledecky led by the length of a body after 100 meters and found herself under world-record pace.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Katie Ledecky needs your help,” the public-address announcer bellowed about five minutes into the race. “She needs to hear you.”

Ledecky didn’t need anyone’s help, of course, but fell off world-record pace by nearly two seconds heading into the final 100 meters.

The even-keeled Ledecky grinned afterward. She introduced herself to the world in 2012 by winning the 800 free at the trials and going on to capture gold in the event at the London Olympics, all at age 16. A below-optimal time, at least by her standards, doesn’t concern her.

“I think the good thing from this week is I had a pretty good feel for everything, what went right, what went wrong,” Ledecky said. “I wasn’t able to get [my legs] in the rhythm of my stroke and that showed up with the time and how I felt in the race. But … we can work on those things and be better in Rio.”

Three other finals were decided Saturday. In the 200-meter backstroke, Maya DiRado pulled away to win in 2:07.89 for her third victory of the trials. Missy Franklin, the defending Olympic champion and world-record holder in the event, hung on to finish second to end a difficult meet.

“I came here to be the best of who I am right now, not the best of who I was four years ago,” she said.

Michael Phelps started the 100-meter butterfly in lane seven, an unusual position for the 22-time Olympic medalist, but he edged Huntington Beach’s Tom Shields at the finish. The victory in 51 seconds was the third for Phelps at the trials, and likely the final race in a U.S. pool for the swimmer who plans to retire after Rio.

“There’s been a lot of history here, so 51 is OK, but it’s going to take more than that to win a gold medal,” he said.

Nathan Adrian beat Anthony Ervin by a hundredth of a second in the 50 free.

But, as usual, nothing was close about Ledecky’s performance.

“I’m just going to focus on my racing and what my goals are and anybody’s expectations don’t really mean that much to me,” she said. “No offense, it’s just what I want to do.”

And that’s swim faster than any other woman in the world.

nathan.fenno@latimes.com

Twitter: @nathanfenno