Internet Erupts as Swimmer Katie Ledecky Sets an Olympic Record

Katie Ledecky is making a real splash online. 

The 27-year-old swimmer not only earned her eighth gold medal and tied U.S. great Jenny Thompson for the most Olympic gold medals in the history of women's swimming, she also set an Olympic record time. During the 1,500-meter freestyle final swimming competition on July 31, Ledecky secured first place in just 15:30.02–more than 10 seconds ahead of France's silver medalist Anastasiia Kirpichnikova.

Following the massive achievement on day five of the Paris games, fans erupted in waves of support and awe, taking to social media to celebrate the champion swimmer.

"Swimming a race for 15 WHOLE MINUTES and finishing this far ahead of everyone else is unbelievable," one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote alongside a clip of her "absolute dominance" in the race.

A second dubbed her a "human fish."

"Katie GOATecky," a third joked, while others celebrated Ledecky as "the most dominant athlete there has ever been," "One of our greatest Olympians," and a "legend."

Another called her performance "one of the most impressive athletic things I have witnessed."

Even the official account for the Olympics wanted her to "take a bow."

Her big win on Wednesday serves as her 12th medal overall, and puts her in the running for most Olympic wins in women's swimming alongside current U.S. incumbents Thompson, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin and Australia's Emma McKeon. As several other outlets already reported, Ledecky and Thompson now each have eight golds, three silvers and a bronze.

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