Katie Ledecky finally gets to swim the 1,500 freestyle at the Olympics, but swimming still isn't equitable

Katie Ledecky made history Wednesday night when she became the first U.S. woman to ever qualify for the Olympics in the 1,500-meter freestyle — and she did it in her typically dominant fashion.

The women’s 1,500 free will debut at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, finally offering Ledecky a chance to swim her best race on the sport’s biggest stage. She owns the 10-fastest times ever in the event, including her world record.

Yet what should be a celebrated moment in the Olympics — the decades-overdue addition of the women’s 1,500 (often referred to as the mile), along with the men’s 800-meter freestyle, providing identical lineups — is marred by an inexplicable scheduling decision for the women’s events, showing true equity isn’t quite here yet.

Did you know @katieledecky’s broken the world record in the 1500m free SIX times?

Well now she’s heading to its Olympic debut!@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/YG81aEpnfQ

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021

Wednesday in Omaha for the U.S. Olympic Trials, Ledecky’s 1,500 final came just one hour, nine minutes and 28.64 seconds — according to USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan on site — after she won the 200-meter freestyle final. And her time of 15:40.50 for the 1,500 was still the fastest in the world this year, despite being about 20 seconds slower than her world record.

Racing 1,700 meters in one day is an unimaginably formidable task, even for the most dominant female swimmer ever. But 24-year-old Ledecky had to do it at trials and will have to again in Tokyo because, for some baffling reason, the women’s 200 free heats and the 1,500 free heats are on the same days, as are the subsequent finals two days later, while the men’s respective events are not.

“I’m just so grateful that we have the mile in (the Olympics) now,” Ledecky said, via USA TODAY Sports. “I’ve spoken about the equity that we finally have there and I think that’s a big step. We’re making history tonight and we will be in Tokyo, so that’s fun in its own way.”

The International Olympics Committee adding the women’s 1,500 was a necessary and stupidly belated step forward, correcting an outdated and sexist approach to the Olympic program. But with the women’s 200 and 1,500 freestyle events held on the same days when the men’s events are not, the IOC still hasn’t reached equity in Olympic swimming.

The IOC did not immediately offer clarification on scheduling decisions.

Throughout the week, NBC Sports’ broadcast of the trials has discussed Ledecky’s grueling task of swimming both the 200 free and 1,500 free in the same day, as she likely will do twice in Tokyo. And it caught the attention of swimming fans on Twitter as well because it’s such a brutal lineup.

At the Olympics, why is the women’s 200FR & 1500FR finals on the same night? When the same events for men are on different nights?

Women finally get to swim the 1500 at the OGs & they have to do it this way.

This isn’t the gender equity referenced here: https://t.co/HOcy4sBmvM

— Dr. Johanna Mellis (@JohannaMellis) June 15, 2021

Racing in — and winning — both the 200 and 1,500 on the same day is beyond amazing and impressive, to be sure, and highlights the absolute beast Ledecky is in the pool.

But she and others in those women’s events shouldn’t have to prep for double duty when those on the men’s side don’t have that pressure.

For the men’s events, the 200 and 1,500 are on different days. The men’s mile, the longest pool event, is logically paired on the same day as their 50-meter freestyle, the shortest. (It’s pretty inconceivable that someone could excel at both events on the Olympic level.)

So why isn’t it the same for the women’s events? Why are the swimmers, like Ledecky, in both the women’s 200 free and 1,500 free at a disadvantage because of the lineup when this situation was clearly avoidable for the men’s events?

On the final day of the Olympic swimming program this summer, the only individual events are the men’s 50 free, the women’s 50 free and the men’s 1,500 free.

And with the addition of the men’s 800 free and the women’s 1,500, the events available are identical, so shouldn’t the lineups be identical too?

This isn’t to say it’s an impossible task for Ledecky and anyone else versatile enough to tackle the 200 and the mile in the same day. It’s definitely doable.

But if the Olympics schedule didn’t have to be set up this way for the men’s events, it certainly shouldn’t be this way for the women’s ones.