Franklin nabs fifth gold, Ledecky sets another world record

Published January 13, 2015

American Missy Franklin returned to the podium Saturday and tied a record at the 2013 World Swimming Championships in the process, while countrywoman Katie Ledecky set another world record.

A day after finishing fourth in the women's 100-meter freestyle, Franklin captured her fifth gold medal at this week's meet with a triumph in the 200- meter backstroke.

Already the world record holder in the event, Franklin broke Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry's championship mark with a time of 2 minutes, 4.76 seconds. Australian Belinda Hocking finished 1.90 seconds behind for silver, while Canada's Hilary Caldwell took the bronze.

The 18-year-old Franklin matched fellow American Tracy Caulkins and Aussie Libby Trickett for the most golds by a woman at one worlds.

Ledecky, 16, won gold in the 800-meter freestyle with a world-record time of 8 minutes, 13.86 seconds. Ledecky trailed after 600 meters, but wound up finishing 2.46 seconds ahead of Denmark's Lotte Friis.

The American teenager also smashed the previous world record in the 1,500- meter freestyle on Tuesday.

American Ryan Lochte, meanwhile, finished a disappointing sixth in the men's 100-meter butterfly. South African Chad Le Clos won the event with a time of 51.06 seconds, .39 seconds ahead of Hungary's Laszlo Cseh, who edged Poland's Konrad Czerniak by 1/100th of a second.

The first gold of the day went to Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen Gray in the 50- meter butterfly. She touched in a time of 25.24 seconds.

Also on Saturday, Brazil's Cesar Cielo Filho claimed gold in the 50-meter freestyle.

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