Verified. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. Then theres the sheer efficiency of how her body works. A seven-time Olympic gold medalist and record-breaking swimmer, 24-year-old Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes from the Tokyo games. [82], For the seventh-straight year, Ledecky finished the year with the top times in the world in both the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle (8:10.70 and 15:35.98). Trust me, Gemmell said. Sometimes that happens. TOKYO Katie Ledecky has won her first gold of the Tokyo Olympics, in the 1,500 meter freestyle race. [46], On the third day of competition during the morning session, Ledecky swam in the heats of the 200-meter freestyle and qualified first with a time of 1:55.82. She is Unmarried. Oh, man, this is not exactly what we thought, he said. Theres a decades worth of underwater video too. They swam identical workouts. With her pair of swims in the 800-meter freestyle, Ledecky took control of the top 11 fastest times in the event's history. [122] Ledecky's time of 3:57.36 was the second-fastest time of her career and fourth-fastest in history. Instead, Ledecky has a gift that defies measurement. Her body measurement is 34-24-35 inches. Critics arent satisfied, Olympic snowboarders accuse USOPC, national federation of sex trafficking in lawsuit, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier take pairs gold at U.S. The most important expectations are the ones that I have for myself, said Ledecky, who graduated from Stanford with a psychology degree last month. Before the London Olympics, Ledecky trained at the U.S. teams camp in Knoxville, Tenn., with a small group of middle- and long-distance swimmers under legendary coach Jon Urbanchek. [51] At the conclusion of the week, Ledecky was named the female swimmer of the meet. Shes always trying to maximize her performance so theres nothing left in the tank. During the summers prior to 2012, she swam for Palisades Swim Team in Cabin John, Maryland. She won the first-ever women's 1500 . (Photo: JIM SHORIN/isiphotos.com, Graphic: KATRINA LIOU/The Stanford Daily) By Inyoung Choi. [86], Ledecky began 2020 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, where she won the 200-, 400- and 1500-meter freestyle races. The traits, at least individually, arent uncommon in elite swimmers. [47] Twenty-nine minutes later, Ledecky qualified 6th in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:56.76. [77], In July 2018, at the US National Swimming Championships, Ledecky qualified for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships by finishing first in the 200-,[78] 400-, and 800-meter freestyle.[79]. Ledecky won easily in 4 minutes 1.27 seconds, the 43rd-fastest swim ever by a woman. Katie Ledecky, byname of Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky, (born March 17, 1997, Washington, D.C., U.S.), American swimmer who was one of the sport's dominant freestylers in the early 21st century, breaking numerous records. But can I please just watch? When Titmus first turned up to training with Boxall she was 16 seconds off Ledecky in the 400m, but slowly started to chip away and after a year she had halved the gap. On the meet's first day, she recorded the team's fastest split to lower the 800-yard freestyle relay record to 6:45.91 with Manuel, Neal, and Eastin. At the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Ledecky led all swimmers with three individual titles, winning golds in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle. [126] She swam a 1:55.34 in the semifinals of the 200 meter freestyle and advanced to the final ranking third overall. [42] Ledecky lapped three competitors in the final and finished 27.33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Boyle. The American . Experts single out the way Ledeckys palm wraps about the water and pulls it back. [19], In December 2016, Ledecky was chosen as one of the sponsors of the US Navy aircraft carrier USSEnterprise alongside gymnast Simone Biles. And not even appearing winded? Katie Ledecky is doing what Katie Ledecky does! the public address announcer shouted last month as she completed another convincing victory during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb. He can count on one hand the number of times she was floored by a workout. At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Ledecky won the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyles to qualify for her second Olympic team. Katie Ledecky is the most decorated of female swimmer in history with six individual Olympic gold medals and 14 individual long course world titles to date. On the fifth day of competition, Ledecky, with Leah Smith, Mallory Comerford, and Melanie Margalis won gold in the 4200-meter freestyle relay. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest Olympians and the greatest female swimmer of all time.[5][6]. More recently, in the 1,500 at the Olympic trials, again, except . During their next training session, he recalled, she said, Weve got to get our 40. She did. Ledecky breaking an arm in fourth grade, but jumping back into the pool with a cast. She doesnt have a central governor like most athletes do, that mind-to-muscle idea that I need to shut down right now. Theres nothing you can throw at her that she cant convince herself that she can do., Lee Sommers, an athletic trainer in Bethesda, Md., who helped prepare Ledecky for Rio. [54], Ledecky won a second gold in the 200-meter freestyle with a personal best of 1:53.73, beating Sarah Sjstrm by 0.35 seconds. The stroke thats propelled Ledecky to record after record is connected to another legend. Its just her commitment and desire for getting better.. The girl couldnt make it across the pool. And Ariarne Titmus, the 20-year-old sensation nicknamed The Terminator, posted the second-best time in history a day earlier at the Australian trials. Ledecky finished second in the 400-yard individual medley to Eastin, who lowered the record Ledecky set a month earlier at the Pac-12 Championships. Ledecky has also received the following awards:[143], Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 16:58, Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, United States Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year, College Sports Information Directors of America, Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, FINA Best Swimming Performance of the Year, List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women), List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming, List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women), List of individual gold medalists in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships (women), World record progression 400 metres freestyle, World record progression 800 metres freestyle, World record progression 1500 metres freestyle, Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016, "Katie Ledecky Turns Pro After Dominating College Swimming", "How Katie Ledecky Became the Greatest Distance Swimmer of All Time", "The debate about Washington's greatest athlete is over: it's Katie Ledecky", "Ledecky Johns Elite Company With Third Straight Title in 800 Freestlye", Katie Ledecky wins Female Athlete of the Olympic Games, "New York City Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957", "Back to her roots: How Katie Ledecky became so dominant in the pool", "Gold medalist swimmer inspired by her Jewish history", "Pozor, vlny. READ: Katie Ledecky wins by 21 seconds in her first race for a year Having taken a year-long break from competitions amid the pandemic, Ledecky has recently returned to racing and showed few. Her combined 20 individual titles at the Olympics (6) and World Aquatics Championships (14) is also a record for female swimmers. [18], During the summer of 2012, she trained with the Nation's Capital Swim Club (formerly the Curl Burke Swim Club) under coach Yuri Suguiyama. Shes just doing it better than everybody else.. [108][109][110] Ledecky swam a 15:40.50 in the 1500 meter freestyle, lowering her Championship Record from the day before and becoming the first winner of the women's 1500 meter freestyle at the US Olympic Trials. In her first event in Barcelona, the 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky became a world champion for the first time by winning in 3:59.82, setting a new American record and becoming the second-fastest performer of all time in the event.[31]. Katie Ledecky is the only female American competitive swimmer who owns most medals and holds the record in 400, 800, and 1500-meter freestyles, 500, 1000, and 1650-yard freestyle events. The goals were adjusted to pursue times that felt a little scary, a little unreasonable, more than a little exciting: 3:56 in the 400 freestyle and 8:05 in the 800 freestyle. Not a drop of milk spilled. Is she tall for the average person? She won gold in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyles in Tokyo, as well as silver medals in the 400-meter and 4x200-meter freestyle events. So did Phelps asymmetrical stroke thats known as galloping or loping and is common among high-level men. The swim was the fifth-fastest in history and earned Ledecky the 28 fastest times in the distance. [85] She finished third in the Associated Press's Female Athlete of the Decade voting, behind Serena Williams and Simone Biles. Thats whats allowing her to get such a good grab of the water and have such good force generation per stroke.. The 400? Four years later, she left Rio de Janeiro as the most decorated female athlete of the 2016 Olympic Games, with four gold medals, one silver medal, and two world records. Athlete. [55], Ledecky claimed her third gold in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, with Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Maya DiRado. At just 19 years old, Katie Ledecky is the most dominant swimmer in the world. Some said it would never happen. [11][12][13][14] Ledecky's mother is of Irish descent. I promise this isnt because Im getting my butt kicked.. May 4, 2020, 8:23 p.m. Five days after she turned 23, Katie Ledecky '20 . On the first day of competition, Ledecky won gold in the 800-meter freestyle with a championship-record time of 8:09.13, topping runner-up Ariarne Titmus of Australia by 7.94 seconds. [17] During her high-school swimming career, Ledecky twice set the American and US Open record in the 500-yard freestyle, and she twice set the national high-school record in the 200-yard freestyle. Katie Ledecky hugs Erica Sullivan after winning the womens 1500 freestyle during the second wave of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on June 16 in Omaha, Neb. At the 2014 US National Championships, the qualifying meet for both the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, Ledecky finished first in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle. But her career is also a two-way conversation. Allyson Felix is determined to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team for the upcoming Tokyo Games as she looks to add to her legacy in the sport. [34], Ledecky scored more points than any other swimmer to earn the FINA trophy for best female swimmer of the meet.[35]. Shes not doing it for the adulation, shes not doing it for the title of the worlds greatest swimmer, the coach said. She didnt hesitate to start faster than they expected and maintain the aggressive pace. It worked. [24] In Omaha, Ledecky also placed third in the 400-meter freestyle (4:05.00) and ninth in the 200-meter freestyle (1:58.66). She won 10 Olympic medals, 7 of which were gold. But Katie Ledecky would rather study it at Stanford once the Rio Games are in the past. 578K followers. The time that would be a career-making moment for almost any other swimmer surprised her. [8], Ledecky was born in Washington, D.C.[1] and raised in the suburb of Bethesda, Maryland,[9] the daughter of Mary Gen (Hagan) and David Ledecky. Michael Phelps, the 28-time Olympic medalist, called Ledecky the greatest female swimmer of our time.. That performance burned into the coachs memory. Were offering L.A. Times subscribers first access to our best journalism. Maybe the history Ledecky is making is as remarkable as how shes doing it. Katie Ledecky has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). Ledecky's fastest time in the 400 freestyle is the world record time, 3:56.46, set in her gold medal-winning performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Thats why Bruce Gemmell quips that Ledecky would be content to race in a cardboard box. When Bruce Gemmell took over as Ledeckys coach at the Nations Capital Swim Club in late 2012, his young charge had an Olympic gold medal, but couldnt do a pullup. Nathan Fenno is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times focused on investigations, features and in-depth stories. The usual gap for a world record is as thin as an Olympic medal. [53], Her first individual event was the 400-meter freestyle. She was just doing what Jon was saying.. [7] In total, she has won 42 medals (34 golds, 7 silvers, and 1 bronze) in major international competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships. [61] On the meet's third day, she won the 400-yard individual medley in a new American record of 3:57.68 before finishing second to teammate Simone Manuel in the 200-yard freestyle with a personal best time less than a half hour later. Each month, she sends practice video to Russell Mark, a former rocket scientist who is USA Swimmings national team performance manager. At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Ledecky battled illness and withdrew from two events before winning her fourth-straight World Championship title in the 800-meter freestyle. Her 3:57.36 on Sunday was the second-fastest she . Is she tall for an elite swimmer? Inside the 24-year-old Katie Ledecky's decision to leave Stanford and join elite training partners and a new coach in Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida, ahead of Paris 2024. In between London and Rio, Ledecky quietly became the world's most dominant swimmer no longer just a distance specialist. The history-making has become so common, so many would-be competitors left so far behind, that expectations, just like the pictures, are larger than life. Ledecky is the world record holder in the women's 800- and 1500-meter freestyle (both long course and short course) as well as the former world record holder in the women's 400-meter freestyle (long course). She has an uncanny ability to remain herself, not flinch in the face of scrutiny and focus on the task at hand. We dont clamor for such answers while admiring a sopranos voice or an actors ability to make us weep. Her Czech-born paternal grandfather Jaromr Ledecky arrived in New York City on September 8, 1947, as a student,[10] later becoming an economist, and married an Ashkenazi Jewish woman named Berta Ruth Greenwald (Ledecky's paternal grandmother) in Brooklyn on December 30, 1956, and through her Ledecky has relatives who were killed in the Holocaust in Europe. [58] Ledecky was also the 2nd most decorated Olympian at the 2016 games behind Michael Phelps (5 golds, 1 silver).[59]. The next day, Ledecky lowered her meet record, winning the 800-meter freestyle final by nearly 10 seconds (8:10.32). Sports, however, bring a desire for answers, for numbers, for specifics, especially for someone whose accomplishments almost have become disorienting. The world record margin for the 12 other individual events in the Olympic program is 0.44%. Ledecky almost broke the world record in the 800-meter freestyle, finishing with a time of 8:11.35. OMAHA As she prepared for her first Olympics nine years ago, a 15-year-old Katie Ledecky carried hopes and dreams into the London Games. [64] On the meet's final day, Ledecky set an NCAA record in the 1000-yard freestyle (9:06.90) en route to a championship record in the 1650-yard freestyle (15:07.70), defeating runner-up Smith by 21.19 seconds and lapping all other competitors. For lengthy races like the 1,500 meters, this must remain constant for more than 15 minutes. She doesnt have a central governor like most athletes do, that mind-to-muscle idea that I need to shut down right now. Theres nothing you can throw at her that she cant convince herself that she can do.. [132][133] Additionally, Ledecky signed on to be a volunteer swim coach for the Florida Gators. In the final, Ledecky swam to an early lead before Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella took over midway through the race. They cant quantify this, but believe she hangs onto more water than other swimmers. [4], Ledecky began swimming at the age of six due to the influence of her older brother, Michael, and her mother, who swam for the University of New Mexico. [108] These two swims secured her spots on the US Olympic Team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 1500 meter freestyle and 200 meter freestyle individual events as well as the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle.[80]. Ledecky, who has broken the 4-minute barrier in the distance 20 times, thought she had been faster.