Katie Ledecky breaks the world record for the 1,500-meter race by nearly 10 seconds

Katie Ledecky wins the 1500 meter freestyle in world record time at the World Cup short course swimming day two finals at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto on Oct. 29. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

U.S. Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky has beaten the world record for the 1,500-meter "short course" freestyle race by nearly 10 seconds. What's more, Ledecky finished the race 40 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

At the Swimming World Cup in Toronto on Saturday, Ledecky clocked in at 15 minutes and 8 seconds, besting the 15 minutes and 18 seconds record set by Germany's Sarah Wellbrock in 2019.