Katie Ledecky reacts after winning the gold in the women's 800m freestyle final. Photo by Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports
American Katie Ledecky, just 15, won the women's 800-meter freestyle on Friday, breaking Janet Evans' American record that had stood since 1989.
Ledecky finished in 8:14.63, beating Evans' 8:16.22.
Spain's Mirela Belmonte Garcia earned silver, while Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington took bronze.
It's the USA's eighth gold in the event but first since 2000.
Ledecky has said she never dreamed about going to the Olympics.
"I always thought of the Olympics as this unreal thing," she said earlier this summer. "My only goal, when I was 6, was to make the A meets."