RIO DE JANEIRO -- Katie Ledecky came into the Rio Olympics facing enormous expectations.Some athletes mightve buckled under the pressure.She seemed to thrive on it.The 19-year-old from suburban Washington capped off one of the greatest performances in Olympic history with her fourth gold medal and second world record, shattering her own mark in the 800-meter freestyle Friday night.I just wanted to lay it all out there, Ledecky said.She certainly did that.And more.Ledecky and Debbie Meyer are now the only female swimmers to sweep the three longest freestyle races. Meyer took the 200, 400 and 800 at Mexico City in 1968.In recent days, Meyers been texting with Ledeckys mom, Mary Gen.Before the 800, the former swimming great sent along a video message that was forwarded to Katie.I try not to think about the history much, Ledecky said. But joining Debbie in that history is incredible.She also followed fellow swimmers Amy Van Dyken and Missy Franklin as the only American women to win as many as four golds in a single Olympics. Along with her individual golds, Ledecky also topped the podium with the 4x200 free relay. For good measure, she earned silver anchoring the 4x100 free relay, showing the sort of speed that has only recently become part of her repertoire but bodes well for her branching out even more in the future.I hit all my goals right on the nose this week, Ledecky said.Four years ago, she seemingly came out nowhere to capture gold as a 15-year-old at the London Games. Then, after her coach moved to the West Coast, Ledecky hooked up with Bruce Gemmell and never missed a beat.She called it a testament to the vision that Bruce and I had three years ago when we set these goals, and we werent going to stop until we met them.As was the case in the 400 free, where she crushed her own world record, Ledecky was merely racing the clock as she powered away from the field to touch in 8 minutes, 4.79 seconds, eclipsing the mark of 8:06.68 that she set at a grand prix meet in Texas back in January.The goal was 8:05 or better, she said.Naturally, she was better.Then, Ledecky played the waiting game, hanging on the rope for a while to let the rest of the field finish.Jazz Carlin of Britain finally touched in 8:16.17 to claim silver, just ahead of Hungarys Boglarka Kapas grabbing bronze in 8:16.37.Its tough when youve got such an incredible athlete in your event and someone who breaks world records every time she swims, Carlin said.Some 23 seconds after Ledecky touched the wall, the last of the eight finalists chugged to the end of the grueling race.Ledecky was barely breathing hard.What shes doing in the sport is ridiculous, its insane, said Michael Phelps, the 22-time gold medalist who plans to retire again after his final race on Saturday. Shes obviously someone Im very excited to look forward to watching race.Ledecky rarely shows her emotions, maintaining the sort of even keel that works so well in the pool.On the medal stand, though, she finally broke down in tears.She was surely thinking about all the work she put in to make it there, not to mention all the changes to come as she gets ready to head off to college.I think its the first time in my life Ive ever seen true emotion come out, Phelps said.But Ledecky is eager to get on to the next phase of her life.After putting off college for a year to focus on the Olympics, shell head to Stanford in the fall and join fellow U.S. teammates Simone Manuel and Leah Smith. Ledecky is not sure yet what shell study, but shes looking forward to being just another college freshman.Its going to be exciting, Ledecky said. I am heading home in a couple of days and Ill have to get all my stuff for my dorm and get everything ready. Itll be tough leaving home, but Im excited for the next chapter.She shared some tears with Gemmell, the coach who stepped in so seamlessly after the London Games and was so instrumental to her success.He doesnt cry very often and I dont cry very often, Ledecky said. It was just a very happy moment and its been incredible to share that journey with him.Shes in no hurry to turn professional and cash in on her success.Ive really enjoyed being an amateur, Ledecky said. I think there are some pressures that come with being a professional swimmer, and I dont think I am ready for that.She was sure ready for Rio, though.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. 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"Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. RIO DE JANEIRO -- After going nearly four years without a defeat aboard their high-performance skiff, New Zealand pair Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were beaten in a regatta in Rio de Janeiro in mid-July.Not just by anyone, mind you. The loss in the South American Championships was to their trans-Tasman rivals from Australia, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen.The stunning defeat, after 27 straight regatta victories, raised eyebrows around the boat basin and now makes for a terrific story line as the wild 49er class begins its run at the Rio Olympics on Friday.Burling and Tuke certainly remain the favorites to upgrade their 2012 silver medal to gold. But they might be looking over their shoulders at Outteridge and Jensen, who rode the dominating Aussie tide on the English Channel in 2012 to claim the 49er gold medal.Outteridge and Jensen have spent the last four years focusing more on their jobs with Americas Cup syndicate Artemis Racing of Sweden than they have on the 49er class.Burling and Tuke have joined Emirates Team New Zealand since the Kiwis soul-crushing loss to Oracle Team USA in the 2013 Americas Cup, but have also concentrated heavily on the 49er, one of the fastest and most exciting Olympic classes.Theyve said that while the winning streak was nice, its gold that theyre focused on.At the very least, Outteridge and Jensen have quickly gotten up to speed in the last several weeks.And beating their rivals and former training partners?It was massive, Outteridge said. It was really important. We sort of won an event earlier in the year, too, but it was a very unofficial event, and Pete and Blair actually pulled out halfway through the event. We felt a little bit cheated there.But to do it in a proper event, at the South Americans, where pretty much the whole Olympic fleet was here, was quite good. Even though we still werent at our best then, weve still improved a lot since then. It was massive on the psychology.Ah yes, the psychology. Sailors have always relied on skullduggery and perhaps some hijinks to get one over on their opponents, whether its something that goes on out of view in the boatyard or perhaps something thats said at a news conference.During the 2013 Americas Cup, Emirates Team Neww Zealand had taken a seemingly unassailable lead when Jimmy Spithill, the Australian skipper of Oracle Team USA, was asked about his level of optimism in turning things around.ddddddddddddI think the question is, imagine if these guys lost from here, what an upset that would be, Spithill said. Theyve almost got it in the bag. Thats my motivation.Kiwi skipper Dean Barker, sitting next to Spithill, looked as if hed seen a ghost.Oracle staged one of the biggest comebacks in sports to retain the Auld Mug. A faster boat helped, but Spithills words may very well have gotten into Barkers head.The boost to the psyches of Outteridge and Jensen came on the water. It remains to be seen if it will affect the Kiwi crew.Its not that we never knew we couldnt do it, but it reminds us its not impossible, Outteridge said. It reminds ourselves, it reminds the fleet, and it reminds Pete and Blair that its not as easy as it looks. Theyre very smart guys. They know how much time and efforts required to win events, but the Olympics is very special and were going to draw on all our experience for this one.Outteridge and Jensen, known as Goobs, stepped away from Artemis in July. Outteridge said he spoke two years ago with syndicate head Iain Percy about how to handle the campaign for Rio. Percy won three Olympic medals for Britain, including two golds.We were going to take six months in the buildup. It didnt happen, but at least we had the final six weeks. Its been a big difference, Outteridge said.They showed up in Rio, took a week off, and then got going.Its the longest weve been in one country for four years, Outteridge said. It makes us feel rested, relaxed and ready for racing.Burling and Tuke know whats ahead.Theres been pressure on us, said Burling, who carried New Zealands flag at the opening ceremony, with Tuke marching at his side. Certainly the target is on our back. Were happy with that.He said the winning streak was great, but thats not what were about. Were trying to win in Rio. Everything we do is working toward that.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson ' ' '