Katie Ledecky returned to a familiar spot Tuesday at the Paris Olympics: first place.
The 11-time Olympic medalist returned to the pool for the first time since her bronze-medal finish in the women's 400m freestyle and posted the top time in the 1500m freestyle heats.
Ledecky clocked in at 15:47.43, about 10 seconds off the time she posted when she won the inaugural 1500m freestyle event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by 4.07 seconds.
Tuesday's heat was nowhere near as close. China's Li Bingjie finished second at 16:05.26, nearly 18 seconds behind Ledecky.
Ledecky's advantage over the entire field was significantly closer, as Italy's Simona Quadrella finished second overall with a time of 15:51.19. France's Anastasiya Kirpichnikova and Germany's Isabel Marie Gose also cleared 16 minutes.
The women's 1500m has belonged to Ledecky for well over a decade, as she has not lost a race in the event in 14 years.
Ledecky will have to wait a day before going for gold in the event. The women's 1500m freestyle final will be held at 3:13 p.m. ET/ 12:13 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Watch all the action from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games live on Peacock
Elsewhere in the heats, fellow American Katie Grimes failed to qualify for the final. She finished with a time of 16:12.11 in the third and final heat, placing her 10th overall.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
