KAZAN, Russia — Before Katie Ledecky embarked on a mission many onlookers at the swimming world championships Tuesday considered pure madness, she consumed two meals. The first was a plate of pasta with pesto sauce, a mound of rice, a piece of bread and green beans. The second, roughly three hours later, consisted of another plate of pasta.
All the carbohydrates in Kazan did not figure to load Ledecky’s tank sufficiently for her odyssey, which started with the 1,500-meter freestyle final and ended with a 200-meter freestyle semifinal, all in less than 50 minutes.
Ledecky, who is always up for a challenge, succeeded, though she conceded afterward it was tougher than she had anticipated.