(Photo credit: REUTERS/Edgar Su)

Katie Ledecky posted the fifth-fastest 1,500-meter freestyle time in history in winning the gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Tuesday.

Ledecky challenged her own world record time for much of the final before touching the wall in 15:26.44 for her 22nd world championship gold medal. The American star, who has also won two Olympic gold medals in the event, has won all six world title races in the 1,500 that she has competed in since 2013.

She withdrew from the event in 2019 due to illness and skipped last year's worlds to focus on the Olympics.

Ledecky, 28, hasn't lost at the distance since she was 13 and has reset the world record six times. It currently sits at 15:20.48, a mark she set at a Pro Swim Series event in Indianapolis in 2018.

However, Tuesday's race was closer than most for Ledecky in the 1,500. Italy's Simona Quadarella finished second in 15:31.79, the 12th-fastest time ever. Ledecky had previously held the top 24 times in the history of the event.

Australia's Lani Pallister took bronze in 15:41.18.

'Lani took it out there,' Ledecky said in her post-race interview with Peacock. 'I knew she'd be out fast and I just wanted to get out fast but comfortable enough that I could build from there. (I'm) happy with the time and happy with the swim.

'The 1,500 means a lot to me, and I wasn't going to give that one up tonight.'

Ledecky has one more individual event this week. She began the meet by claiming bronze in the 400-meter freestyle won by Canada's Summer McIntosh, and the two will square off again in the 800-meter freestyle later this week.

The 28 total medals Ledecky currently owns at the world championships is second all-time behind only Michael Phelps' 33. She currently has 42 medals across the Olympics and world championships, making her the most decorated female swimmer in history.

--Field Level Media