2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Just a couple hours after we found out American star Katie Ledecky was scratching the 200m free the 2019 FINA World Championships due to illness and was questionable for the 1500m free, she has officially scratched the latter as well.

“Team USA officials have made the decision to withdraw Katie Ledecky from this evening’s 1500m free final,” a statement from USA Swimming said.

According to the organization’s statement from earlier today, the five-time Olympic champion Ledecky has felt unwell since arriving in Gwangju. Her coach Greg Meehan, also the head women’s coach at this meet for Team USA, told The New York Times that team doctors had not made an official diagnosis and that getting her back in the meet “at some point'” would be “an ideal scenario.”

Ledecky has won three straight world titles in the event and is the fastest woman in history by more than 18 seconds. Shortly after she scratched the 200, fellow top seeds Taylor Ruck and Emma McKeon did the same. McKeon also cited illness, while Ruck’s camp said it wanted to “protect her performances for the rest of the world championships.”

Ledecky suffered her first distance freestyle event loss at an international meet on day one in Gwangju, when 18-year-old Ariarne Titmus of Australia surged at the end of the 400m free to beat her. Ledecky led at the 350-mark then uncharacteristically posted the slowest closing split of the field; the Olympic champion did not mention being ill during the post-race press conference.

She swam the 1500 heats on Monday morning, taking the top seed. FINA rules do not allow for ‘replacement swimmers’ after the entry deadline, so the USA will not be able to replace Ledecky in her events.

With Ledecky’s 1500 scratch, Spain’s Mireia Belmonte moves into the final after taking ninth in prelims; this will be Belmonte’s first final of the meet.