RIO DE JANEIRO — At her second Olympics, Katie Ledecky experienced what was for her a Games first: She touched the wall not knowing if she had won. The 200-meter freestyle was her third career individual final, and Ledecky’s margin of victory was 35-hundredths of a second, a microfraction of time virtually imperceptible to the untrained eye.
When she finishes her last individual event on Friday, viewers might wonder if there was anyone else in the pool. If recent form holds, the gap between Ledecky and the silver medalist in the 800-meter freestyle will reflect her dominance more powerfully than the gold medal she receives afterward.