By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- World Championship Selection Criteria
WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – BY THE NUMBERS:
- World Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018 Pro Swim Series, Indianapolis
- American Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018 Pro Swim Series, Indianapolis
- U.S. Open Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018 Pro Swim Series, Indianapolis
- World Junior Record: 15:28.36, Katie Ledecky (USA) — 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, Gold Coast
The women’s 1500 freestyle is featured in the final week of our previews for the upcoming U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, which kick off on Tuesday, June 3rd, and run through Saturday, June 7th.
Two questions loom at this race: How fast will Katie Ledecky swim seven weeks out from Worlds, and who will rise to claim the second roster spot? A compelling mix of established low-16-minute swimmers and rising challengers will all be aiming to punch their ticket to Singapore alongside the queen of freestyle.
LEDECKY’S DYNASTY
Katie Ledecky (Photo Credit: Chris Pose)
Ledecky is the undisputed favorite to win the 1500 at next week’s World Trials. She’s the world record holder, two-time reigning Olympic champion (2021, 2024), and a five-time world champion in the event (2013, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023). Ledecky has never lost the 1500 on the international stage and hasn’t been beaten domestically since before she turned 15.
She has topped the world rankings in the 1500 every year since 2013 and is coming off another dominant showing in Paris, where she won Olympic gold in 15:30.02—a time that ranked 8th all-time at the moment and now sits 9th. Remarkably, Ledecky owns the 23 fastest performances ever recorded in the event.
All-Time Performances, Women’s 1500 LCM Freestyle:
- 15:20.48 – 2018 Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis
- 15:24.51 — 2025 Pro Swim Series – Fort Lauderdale
- 15:25.48 – 2015 World Championships
- 15:26.27 – 2023 World Championships
- 15:27.71 – 2015 World Championships (prelims)
- 15:28.36 – 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
- 15:29.51 – 2020 Pro Swim Series – Des Moines
- 15:29.64 – 2023 U.S. National Championships
- 15:30.02 – 2024 Olympic Games
- 15:30.15 – 2022 World Championships
- 15:31.82 – 2017 World Championships
- 15:34.23 – 2014 TWST Senior Invitational
- 15:35.35 – 2021 Olympic Games
- 15:35.65 – 2017 Pro Swim Series – Santa Clara
- 15:35.98 – 2019 U.S. Open
- 15:36.53 – 2013 World Championships
- 15:36.87 – 2025 Southern Zone South Sectionals
- 15:37.34 – 2021 Olympic Games
- 15:37.35 – 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials
- 15:37.99 – 2023 Pro Swim Series – Knoxville
- 15:38.25 – 2024 Atlanta Classic
- 15:38.81 – 2024 Pro Swim Series – Knoxville
After not touching her best time in the 1500 since 2018—when she set the current world record of 15:20.48 at the Indianapolis Pro Series stop—Ledecky delivered the second-fastest performance of all time earlier this month, clocking a 15:24.51 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series. She followed that up with the second-best mark of her career in the 400 free, then went on to shatter her nine-year-old world record in the 800 free.
Ledecky could add nearly 30 seconds to her season-best and still likely qualify for the World Championships—a cushion no other swimmer in the field, or in any other event, enjoys.
WHO ARE THE FAVORITES FOR 2ND?
Katie Grimes (Photo Credit:Jack Spitser)
With Ledecky in the field, barring a shocking disqualification, everyone is simply swimming for second place.
Katie Grimes, on paper, is the favorite to nab the final roster spot, but she hasn’t matched her personal best in this event since the 2022 World Championships, where she joined Ledecky on the podium with a silver medal-worthy 15:44.57. If Grimes can get anywhere near that time, she should lock up a return to the Worlds roster. However, if she lands closer to her recent efforts—15:57.77 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, 16:01.47 at the 2023 World Championships, or 16:12.11 at the 2024 Paris Olympics—she could find herself in serious trouble.
Grimes, who joined the Virginia Cavaliers in January, appears to still be adjusting to the program’s training style. Coming from a high-volume, distance-oriented background with the Sandpipers of Nevada, she is now part of a collegiate team that emphasizes quality over yardage, in contrast to many other top-ranked programs.
At the ACC Championships in late February, Grimes told SwimSwam she had been unsure about racing the mile this season, saying, “I just haven’t really been sure about the mile. The coaches have given me a lot of freedom about which route I want to take, which is really challenging for me because usually I just kind of do what I’m told. Now I kind of have to think for myself, which I like. I feel like I’m growing as a swimmer and learning what I want to do. Having them support me with whichever events I want to swim, and really just having fun at practice—I love going to practice. It’s like my favorite part of the day now. Even if it’s a practice where I know we’re going to get killed, it’s just a lot of fun to be there with my teammates and have a good energy on deck.”
She ultimately decided to race it at NCAAs, over the 200 back and 200 fly, which were her other considerations, touching 13th in 15:56.31—well off her 15:26.17 best time that would have won the event by over four seconds.
Whether she chooses to swim the 1500 at Nationals remains unclear, but she skipped the event at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series, instead focusing on her bread-and-butter 400 IM, along with the 200 fly, 200 back, and 800 free—which leads us to believe she may end up scratching the event, especially if she qualifies for the 400 IM earlier in the meet.
