A lot of drama unfolded at the 700th meter in the pool at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, Singapore Sports Hub (Car Park G), Kallang, Singapore, the venue where the World Championships were being held. This was the 800m freestyle final, and Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, and Summer McIntosh were neck‑and‑neck through 700 m. At that point, McIntosh led by just 0.14 seconds, but did she win?
Katie Ledecky made a post on her Instagram today, where she stood with Lani Pallister and Canada’s Summer McIntosh. There was another picture of her swimming and another one with her coach. The caption read, “800×7 thank you all for the support and congratulations to everyone in that field for some amazing times Go USA! ” Ledecky unleashed a stunning 30.24 split from 700 to 750 m, then powered home in 29.53 seconds for the final 50 to claim victory by just 0.36 seconds over Pallister and 0.67 seconds over McIntosh. Katie Ledecky had won the world title in the 800 freestyle at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships. But did you catch how Michael Phelps responded?
The swimming champion took the Instagram post to a story today writing, “The “. Oh, to be called the GOAT by the very GOAT himself. He was not wrong to say that as well, because this was not just her seventh world title in the discipline, it was her seventh consecutive one. Ledecky has now won gold in every single World Aquatics Championship she has competed in — from Barcelona 2013, through Kazan 2015, Budapest 2017, Gwangju 2019, Budapest 2022, Fukuoka 2023, and now Singapore 2025.
This was Ledecky’s 23rd World Championships gold, and 30th medal overall, now within three golds and three total medals of Michael Phelps’ all-time record of 26 titles and 33 medals. The two of them admire each other so much. In 2003, a 9‑year‑old Ledecky waited outside the pool area at the Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium for a chance to meet Phelps. When he exited the pool, he spontaneously signed her swim cap. This moment saw a full circle in Rio.
A decade after her first autograph, the pair recreated the photo at Rio, this time with Phelps asking for Ledecky’s autograph. “We are in great shape, not only with Katie but with the team that we have now,” Phelps said in an interview. “Katie’s doing her thing, and she’s breaking records every time she gets in the pool. It’s been an honor for me to be a part of the team with her and some of the younger guys that we have coming up in the sport that are going to take over.” Though the Goat is facing some backlash as of now.
Michael Phelps’ words bring him backlash
Team USA concluded a challenging World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, overshadowed by an illness outbreak during their pre-event training camp in Thailand. In response to the team’s underwhelming medal haul, Ryan Lochte posted an AI-generated image of a tombstone reading “In loving memory of United States Swimming,” captioned, “Call it a funeral, or call it a fresh start. We’ve got 3 years.” Michael Phelps reshared it on Instagram with the blunt statement: “Is this the wake-up call USA Swimming needed? Let’s find out…”
The timing of their remarks drew swift backlash. Many viewed Phelps’s tone as tone-deaf given the team’s difficult circumstances. After the initial comment was made by Phelps, On what became one of the most unforgettable nights of the championships, Katie Ledecky delivered a breathtaking performance in the 800m freestyle, clocking 8:05.62 to once again show why she’s in a league of her own. But the night didn’t stop there—Team USA brought the crowd to its feet by breaking the world record in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, touching the wall in a blistering 3:18.48.
Not long after the night’s big wins, Lilly King took to Instagram, tagging Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte with a sharp, understated jab in the caption: “Y’all been real quiet tonight.” Asked about the criticism, Gretchen Walsh, who claimed the 50m butterfly title on Saturday to go along with her 100m win in Singapore, said she was doing her best to stay focused and tune it out. “I was made aware, and it’s frustrating, but I think that personally, I am just trying to block it out and take on the meet with everything I can and just show up and race like I know how.” She added that the scrutiny has been difficult, especially considering how much more is happening behind the scenes than people realize. What are your views?
The post Michael Phelps Sends 2-Word Message to Katie Ledecky Amid Backlash Over Swimming Worlds Comments appeared first on EssentiallySports.
