Record-breaking US hit back at critics

Katie Ledecky beat Summer McIntosh to win a classic 800m freestyle final at the world championships on Saturday as the record-breaking United States hit back at their critics.

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On a Super Saturday for the embattled Americans, who have been struggling with illness in Singapore, Ledecky won her seventh career world gold in the event she has made her own.

But the legendary American was pushed to the limit, touching the wall in a championship-record 8min 05.62sec, ahead of Australia’s Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and McIntosh (8:07.29).

It was Canadian sensation McIntosh’s first defeat of the championships and ended her bid to match Michael Phelps as the only swimmer ever to win five individual golds at a single world championships.

The 18-year-old has already won three golds this week in Singapore and was to go for number four in the 400m medley yesterday.

"The feeling right now is something I never want to feel again," a forlorn McIntosh said.

Ledecky, 28, had too much staying power for her younger rival, with Pallister also right in the mix until the final lunge for the line.

"They pushed me all the way," said Ledecky, a four-time Olympic champion in the event.