The stars of global swimming closed out the fourth and final night of the Fort Lauderdale Open 2026 in style on Saturday (2 May) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Katie Ledecky – the most decorated U.S. female swimmer in history – clocked a 8:12.68 in the women’s 800m freestyle to end her campaign at the outdoor event with an easy win.
Ledecky had also won in the women’s 1500m freestyle on Wednesday (29 April) with the fifth fastest time in history, but finished behind Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh in both the 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle over the weekend.
Later in the evening, Ledecky’s American teammate Gretchen Walsh brought the crowd to its feet as she set another new world record in the 100m butterfly in 54.33, continuing her domination of this event – with the 13 fastest times ever recorded in it.
French star Leon Marchand backed up his men’s 400m individual medley win on Friday (1 May) by taking the 200m IM on Saturday, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion and world record holder clocking a 1:57.28.
Kate Douglass won the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:20.94 before closing out the night with a speedy effort in the 50m freestyle, her 24.21 just ahead of Walsh at 24.40.
It was a surprise finish in the final event of the night, as 31-year-old Estonian Ralf Tribuntsov won a chaotic men’s 50m free in 22.24. American Chris Giuliano, who continues to make a name for himself in the freestyle races, was second at 22.27, while Olympic great Caeleb Dressel finished eighth.