Katie Ledecky Breaks One Of The Oldest National Championship Swimming Records; Beats Teammate By 20 Seconds In 1,500 Freestyle

Granddaughter of one of Williston's best known prairie physicians: Dr Hagan.

Craven-Hagan Clinic. Main Street. Second floor in an otherwise non-descript brick building north of JC Penney's, same side of street. That's where I was tested for "hay-fever" allergies and underwent several years of "allergy shots."

Dr Hagan's granddaughter (if I have the genealogy correct) is setting records. And this is absolutely incredible. From The Salt Lake Tribune and I'm sure you can find the story everywhere:

Katie Ledecky broke one of the oldest national championship records Saturday night in Indianapolis, finishing the 1,500-meter freestyle in 15 minutes, 47.15 seconds. She beat 2012 Olympic teammate Chloe Sutton by 20.6 seconds and broke Janet Evans’ 25-year-old long-course championship record by nearly 5 seconds. It also was the fastest time in the world this year.

By winning the three longest events this week and finishing second in the 200 free, Ledecky has a chance to become the first American woman to compete in the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 free at the world championships.

Beating an Olympic swimmer by 20 seconds.  By the time Chloe finished the race, Katie could have a) dried off; b) do a post-race interview; c) change in to street clothes; and, d) sign autographs. 

Twenty seconds must seem like an eternity when coming in second. Wow. 

For those of my generation who remember Dr Hagan, but not all the details, here is one part of his story, from The Bismarck Tribune:

In June 1942 Dr. Hagan received his doctor of medicine degree at Rush Medical College, an adjunct of the University of Chicago. He interned at Ancker Hospital, St. Paul, Minn., and on Dec. 22, 1942, was commissioned as a lieutenant, junior grade, in the U.S. Navy Reserve Medical Corps. 

Dr. Hagan entered active duty with the U.S. Navy in April 1943 attached to the 1st Marine Division as a combat surgeon.His time in service to his country included four contested landings with the Marines which earned him a Purple Heart, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Presidential Unit Citations, along with many other decorations. 

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Flashback: I posted this back on June 18, 2012, which included a note about Katie.