Katie Ledecky fights off Ariarne Titmus to win fourth Olympic 800m gold in a row

American claims ninth individual gold medal She joins Larisa Latynina as most decorated woman Katie Ledecky lay flat on her back in the Olympic pool, pain still ­written on her face, trying to suck the air back into her lungs as fast as she could manage. The crowd were going wild on all four sides of the arena and yet for a few moments she simply stared at the roof, at the cameras and the scaffolding and the lights. For Ledecky, the pool has always been her freedom and her safety. It was as if ...