KAZAN, Russia — The 15,000-seat Kazan Arena was less than a quarter full when the swimmers in the final heat of the Monday morning preliminaries stepped to the blocks. In the middle of the pool stood Katie Ledecky, who was returning to the water after narrowly missing her world record in the 400-meter freestyle the night before.
Ledecky, 18, was swimming for a spot in the eight-woman final in the 1,500 freestyle, the longest race contested in a pool. If it were a person, the 1,500 would be the windbag at the mixer who quickly empties the room.