Summer Olympics: Katie Ledecky wins first heat, to compete for first gold medal Saturday afternoon

Katie Ledecky is off to a roaring start in Paris.

Ledecky, who entered the Summer Olympics with six gold medals, one shy of tying Jenny Thompson for most ever by a female swimmer and two shy of matching the all-time record for gold medals by a female Olympian, kicked off her campaign on Saturday morning with a first-place performance in the women’s 400-meter freestyle heat.

Ledecky, a multi-time national champion while she was at Stanford, won her preliminary heat with a 4:02.19 time that narrowly topped her rival...