Katie Ledecky has started the United States’ medal collection at the world swimming championships with a gold by reclaiming her title in the women’s 400 meters on Saturday.

Ledecky clocked 3 minutes, 58.15 seconds — nearly two seconds off the world record — on the first day of racing for her fourth world title in the 400 freestyle after 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Ariarne Titmus pipped Ledecky to the title in 2019 and took her world record last month but the Australian has skipped the worlds in Budapest to focus on the Commonwealth Games next month in England.

Canada’s 15-year-old Summer McIntosh finished 1.24 seconds behind Ledecky for the silver. Both were well ahead of the competition, with American Leah Smith 3.93 behind Ledecky in third and Australia’s Lani Pallister finishing fourth.

The American relay team of Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Justin Ress and Brooks Curry won the men’s 4x100 freestyle final, clocking 3:09.34 to finish ahead of the Australians in second and Italians in third.

The Australian women responded by winning their 4x100 freestyle final, 1.20 ahead of the Canadians and 1.63 ahead of the Americans.

Mollie O’Callaghan, Madison Wilson, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack were all quickest and clocked 3:30.95.

Australia’s Elijah Winnington took the first gold of the evening when he powered home in the final length of the men’s 400 meters to overtake Germany’s Lukas Martens. Winnington clocked 3 minutes, 41.22 seconds, a personal best and the third fastest time at a worlds.

“I try to keep up with the Australian guy but in the end he swam away,” said Martens, who finished 1.63 seconds behind.

Brazil’s Guilherme Costa was third.

None of the medalists from 2019 raced in the men’s 400. Sun Yang of China is banned for a doping infringement, Australia’s Mack Horton – the 2016 Olympic champion – failed to qualify by 0.10 seconds, and Gabriele Detti did not enter.

Léon Marchand won gold for France with a dominant display in the men’s 400 medley. The 20-year-old Marchand clocked 4:04.28 for a European record, 2.28 ahead of Carson Foster and 3.19 ahead of Chase Kalisz as the Americans claimed silver and bronze.

Britain’s Benjamin Proud was 0.03 seconds faster than American star Caeleb Dressel and Italy’s Thomas Ceccon in the semifinals of the men’s 50 butterfly. The final is on Sunday.

American Torri Huske was quickest in the women’s 100 butterfly semifinals, and Alex Walsh led an American 1-2 with Leah Hayes ahead of Australia’s Kaylee McKeown and Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey in the semifinals of the women’s 200 medley.

LPGA

Korda leads Meijer Cassic after eagle >> Defending champion Nelly Korda made a 22-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th for a 6-under 66 and the third-round lead in the LPGA Meijer Classic, with six majors champions topping the leaderboard.

Making her second start since returning from a four-month break because of a blood clot in her left arm, Korda also eagled the par-5 eighth and had three birdies and a bogey. She was at 18-under 198 at Blythefield Country Club.

Jennifer Kupcho, two strokes ahead of playing partner Korda entering the day, had a 69 to drop a shot back. She rebounded from her first bogey of the week — on the par-4 17th — with a two-putt birdie on 18.

The second-ranked Korda tied for eighth two weeks ago in the U.S. Women’s Open in her first event since early February. She also is the defending champion next week in the KPGA Women’s PGA at Congressional.

Motorsports

Verstappen wins pole in Canadian Prix >> Max Verstappen overcame slick conditions to win his second pole of the season, and Fernando Alonso used the wet track to earn his first front row start in a decade in rainy qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.

* Mike Salinas took the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel qualifying in the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as he chases his third straight victory at Bristol Dragway.

Salinas powered to the top in the final qualifying session with a 3.767-second run at 327.59. He has three victories this season.

Robert Hight topped the Funny Car field, Aaron Stanfield was the fastest in Pro Stock, and Angelle Sampey took the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Tennis

GAUFF FALLS IN BERLIN OPEN >> Coco Gauff missed out on reaching a first grass-court final on when the 18-year-old American lost to Ons Jabeur 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the semifinals of the Berlin Open.

Jabeur will play her fourth final in a season where she has reached a career-high ranking of fourth in the world and became the first African and first Arab player to win a WTA 1000 event at last month’s Madrid Open. The tournament in Berlin is her first since a surprise first-round loss at the French Open.

• Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka pulled out of Wimbledon, citing a lingering problem with her left Achilles tendon and marking the second consecutive year she’s decided to sit out the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

• Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev beat Oscar Otte 7-6 (3), 6-3 on Saturday to advance to the final of the Halle Open. Otte had set point at 5-3 in the first set but Medvedev broke back before forcing the tiebreaker.

The Russian will play Hubert Hurkacz in today’s final after the big-serving Polish player beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

Wimbledon starts in nine days without Medvedev or any other players from Russia and its ally Belarus. Wimbledon’s decision to impose the ban over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine broke with the other Grand Slams and with the men’s and women’s tours, which won’t award ranking points for the grass-court major.

• Top-seeded Alison Van Uytvanck will face Italian veteran Sara Errani in the final of the inaugural Veneto Open.

The 47th-ranked Van Uytvanck beat Harmony Tan 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the semifinals. Errani, a French Open finalist a decade ago who is ranked No. 213, defeated sixth-seeded Diane Parry 6-3, 6-4.