BUDAPEST: Beginning an audacious week, Katie Ledecky claimed two gold medals on the opening night of swimming at the world championships on Sunday.

The 20-year-old American pulled away for a dominating win in the women’s 400 metre freestyle, though she failed to break her own world record. She finished more than three seconds ahead of the runner-up, team-mate Leah Smith. China’s China’s Li Bingjie claimed the bronze.

Ledecky returned to the pool about an hour later for the 4x100 metre free relay, putting the US ahead to stay on the third leg.

Sarah Sjostrom set a blistering early pace for Sweden, and Ledecky actually slipped to third on the flip after her first 50. But she had powered to the front by the time she passed off to Olympic champion Simone Manuel, who closed it out for the Americans.

Australia took the silver, while the bronze went to the Netherlands.Ledecky has set such a high standard that her time was a bit of a letdown in the 400 metres. She finished nearly two seconds off the world record (3:56.46) she set at the Rio Olympics.

Of course, Ledecky likely wanted to conserve energy for her second event of the night, swimming the third leg of the 4x100 free relay. It’s all part of her audacious goal to win six gold medals covering 6,300 metres in Budapest.

Ledecky didn’t have much of a reaction after touching the wall, but she eventually broke into a big smile and hugged Smith.

Then, it was off to get ready for the relay.

In the first swimming final of the championships, China’s Sun Yang got a bit of payback for his Olympic defeat in the men’s 400 metre freestyle by pulling away from rival Mack Horton of Australia.

Yang was in a league of his own in a stacked field that featured the past three Olympic champions: Horton (2016), Sun (2012) and South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan (2008).

“I have no exact target for the week,” the 25-year-old Sun said through an interpreter.

“I’m in a lot of pain. I’ve been training a lot for the last year. I’m also getting old, so there are a couple of injuries here and there. I’m always wrapped up in tape after every competition.”

The Chinese star finished more than two body lengths ahead of the field, touching the wall in 3:41.38. Horton

settled for the silver, far back at 3:43.85, while Park finished fourth behind bronze medalist Gabriele Detti of Italy.

Last summer in Rio de Janeiro, Horton defeated Sun in the 400 free final after calling him a “drug cheat” over his three-month doping suspension in 2014. The Aussie has made it clear he doesn’t think anyone who tests positive should be allowed to compete which also applies to Park, who served a doping suspension that ended before the 2016 Olympics.

“I’m just going to focus on what’s happening this week and do my best,” Sun said.

Horton shrugged off his loss to Sun, saying “the most disappointing thing for me was the time”.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2017