[127][128] In the finals of these two events, Ledecky failed to reach the podium for the 200 m freestyle, placing 5th behind Titmus, Haughey, Oleksiak, and Yang, but placed 1st in the 1500 m race, leading teammate Erica Sullivan (silver) by 4 seconds, clinching her first gold medal of the Games. [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. [51] At the conclusion of the week, Ledecky was named the female swimmer of the meet. Dwyer topped out at 40 inches. On the final day of competition, she reset her world record in the 800-meter freestyle, clocking a time of 8:06.68. Ledecky competes against herself (1:59) U.S. Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky talks to Hannah Storm about how she got started swimming, how she set goals for herself when she was young and how the . In the evening session, Ledecky faced a tough double with the 1500-meter freestyle final and the semi-finals of the 200-meter freestyle shortly after. Ledecky passed Quadarella and pulled away in the final 50 meters to win by 1.41 seconds. We dont talk about it. A post shared by Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky). Somehow she makes this look easy. 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.. Katie Ledecky Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age [27] At 15 years, 4 months, and 10 days, she was the youngest American participant at the 2012 Olympic Games.[28]. What I found over time what she was great at, though, was her desire to get better. On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle.[80]. She settled for the silver this time in 3:57.36, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded. The 400? There were many times where she was walking up for practice and I think, Thats the best female athlete in the world? Id just kind of chuckle to myself because theres nothing that said that.. She has recognition of these things in the middle of a race and can make an adjustment. What makes Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky so remarkable? On the first day of competition, Ledecky led Australian Ariarne Titmus into the final wall of the 400-meter freestyle final before fading to second. Mary Gen Ledecky, who swam in college, encouraged her daughter to write down goals. Ledecky's six individual gold medals at the Olympics, 14 individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships, and 22 overall medals at the World Aquatics Championships are records in women's swimming. In her fourth and last event, the 800-meter freestyle, Ledecky won gold in a world record of 8:13.86, bettering Rebecca Adlington's world record of 8:14.10. Ledecky's final 50-meter split of 29.33 was the second-fastest in the field behind Pellegrini's 29.23.[49]. [101][102][103], In the morning of day three, Ledecky swam a 1:57.58 in the 200 meter freestyle prelims, ranking second fastest of all heats. The 800? Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. [72], At the NCAA Championships, Ledecky won the 500 and 1650-yard freestyle events by record margins and anchored the winning 800-yard freestyle relay team of Katie Drabot, Brooke Forde, and Ella Eastin. [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. Ledecky's split was the fastest of all swimmers in the relay finals. But Ledecky doesnt just beat records, she transforms them. The process trumped everything. Ledecky was the defending Olympic champion and world-record holder. She was swimming like most classic female distance swimmers, Suguiyama later told the American Swimming Coaches Assn. Barbini noticed the mix of intensity and care thats as much a part of Ledecky as the blazing times. About 18 months before the London Olympics, Suguiyama suggested that Ledecky adopt the gallop. It might be easy to brush off the prediction as a fluke, but chance doesnt play much of a role when Ledecky is involved. At the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ledecky helped lead Stanford to its first team title since 1998. Katie Ledecky Wins Her 1st Gold In Tokyo, Reflects On The - NPR 883 following. At just 19 years old, Katie Ledecky is the most dominant swimmer in the world. Raising gold: Katie Ledecky's journey to becoming an Olympic gold The next day, Ledecky lowered her meet record, winning the 800-meter freestyle final by nearly 10 seconds (8:10.32). The standards for her externally, I think, are just tough sometimes, Meehan said. Swimming the anchor leg, Ledecky recorded a split of 1:55.64 and the Americans finished with an aggregate time of 7:45.37. Ledeckys world records in the 800 freestyle and 1,500 freestyle are 1.95% faster than the second-best women. The Australian, who beat Ledecky to 400m freestyle gold on Monday, also took victory in Wednesday's 200m freestyle final, with Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey in second and Canada's Penny Olesiak. Genetics? Katie Grimes, who at 15 finished second in the 1,500-meter freestyle during the swim trials, said, "Maybe I can be just like Katie [Ledecky] one day," after her trials performance. 422 posts. At the Texas A&M Invitational in November 2017, Ledecky lowered her American and U.S. Open mark in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:03.31. Instead, Ledecky has a gift that defies measurement. Its just her commitment and desire for getting better.. On the seventh day of competition, Ledecky completed her World Championships run by winning gold in the 800-meter freestyle in a world record time of 8:07.39, breaking her own record by 3.61 seconds.[44]. [69], On the third day of competition, Ledecky defended her 1500-meter freestyle title, winning with a time of 15:31.82. Its a remarkable combination, particularly for someone to be that dominant for so long, which takes so much commitment, while at the same time being so nice and polite and kind.. It was two big kicks and bilateral breathing. But her career is also a two-way conversation. He describes them as holy cannoli swims that would leave almost anyone elses jaw on the floor. Swimming the third leg, Ledecky passed Australia and Canada to take the lead with the third-fastest split in history (1:53.67). Ledecky opened the Trials with a win and meet record in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.98). The next day, Ledecky added her third meet record by swimming on the American 4200-meter freestyle relay team with Shannon Vreeland, Missy Franklin, and Leah Smith. But the time was almost five seconds off Ledeckys world record set in Rio. Her time of 7:57.42 surpassed Mireia Belmonte's mark from 2013.[142]. Its a remarkable combination, particularly for someone to be that dominant for so long, which takes so much commitment, while at the same time being so nice and polite and kind., Matt Barbini, USA Swimmings national team performance director. Even elite womens swimmers at the Olympics arent able to pull off that kind of stroke.. The top 11 times. How Katie Ledecky swims faster than the rest of the world Entering the water with a 2.88-second deficit, Ledecky swam the fourth-fastest relay split in history (1:53.84), nearly overtaking Australian Madeline Groves, who touched 0.25 seconds ahead of Ledecky to set a new championship and national record. Olympian Katie Ledecky Shares Her Diet and Training Routine - Prevention She was also named the best female swimmer for 2013 by FINA Aquatics World magazine. Less than an hour later, Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle, swimming under her world record pace for most of the race before touching in at 8:11.35, the second-fastest time ever, to win by 7.52 seconds over New Zealand swimmer Lauren Boyle.[40]. Ledecky concluded the meet with a win in the 800-meter freestyle, her fifth-straight title in the event across Olympics and World Championships. [19], In December 2016, Ledecky was chosen as one of the sponsors of the US Navy aircraft carrier USSEnterprise alongside gymnast Simone Biles. The team lowered its previous record with a time of 3:07.61, securing a 526.5366 decision over runner-up California-Berkeley, the largest championship margin of victory since 2003. [84] Readers of The London Evening Standard voted Ledecky the International Sportswoman of the Decade. In Bethesda, she attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. I think I do a pretty good job of sticking to those and not seeing what kinds of medal counts or times that people are throwing out about what I could accomplish if everything goes perfectly.. I promise this isnt because Im getting my butt kicked.. But she was always bouncing up and down, really bouncy in the water and I think you can swim better than that.. (Pan Pacific Championships Results), Stanford-bound swimmer Katie Ledecky sets world record, Katie Ledecky Wins 800 in Record Time, Completing World Championships Sweep, Katie Ledecky Making Sub-4:00 Look Pedestrian With Meet Record to Defend 400 Free Title at 2015 FINA World Championships, Katie Ledecky Breaks World Record, Almost by Accident, "16th FINA World Championships Women's 1500 metre freestyle (final)", "16th FINA World Championships Women's 200 metre freestyle (semifinals)", Katie Ledecky expands world dominance with 200 freestyle title, Katie Ledecky does it again, breaks world record in 800 free, Katie Ledecky Now Owns the 10 Fastest 800 Free Times Ever, Ledecky, Phelps Named Swimmers of the Meet, "Katie Ledecky Wins Gold in 400-Meter Freestyle", "Katie Ledecky Smashes World Record in the 800-Meter Freestyle", "Katie Ledecky Defends 800m Free Title To Win 4th Gold in Rio", "Ledecky Wins 1650 By A Minute, Breaks American, NCAA Records At OSU", "Ledecky Scorches NCAA, American Records With 4:25.15 500 Free", "Katie Ledecky Beaten by Simone Manuel, Still Sets Two Personal Bests", "A Louisville Swimmer Managed To Tie Katie Ledecky in an NCAA Championship Race", "Ledecky Laps All But One Swimmer To Win NCAA Title", "Stanford Wins First NCAA Swimming and Diving Title Since 1998", "Katie Ledecky Wins 400m Freestyle Gold Medal at World Aquatics Championships", "Katie Ledecky, USA Win 4x100m Free Relay at 2017 World Aquatics Championships", "Ledecky's Dozen: Passes Missy For Most World Champs Golds In History", "Ledecky Drops 15:03, Clips American Record", "KATIE LEDECKY SMASHES 400 IM AMERICAN RECORD, TOPS NCAA RECORD IN 3:56.5", https://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/gametool/brackets/swimdive_d1_2018_final_results.pdf%7Ctitle=2018, "Katie Ledecky Signs with Wasserman Agent Dan Levy", "If you thought Katie Ledecky was done shattering world records, you were sorely mistaken", "Katie Ledecky signs with TYR, her first endorsement deal since turning pro", "Men Don't Move, but Ledecky Takes Women's Lead in PSS Standings", "Ledecky cruises to easy win in 800 free at US Nationals", "Katie Ledecky wins 400m free at Pan Pacs, but she has company", "Ledecky withdraws from 2 events at worlds due to illness", "Natalie Coughlin to Return to Competition with the DC Trident", "Katie Ledecky wins by 30 seconds, takes back No. Katie Ledecky on her Tokyo wins, mental health and gender - PBS What stood out to me was nothing stood out physically, he said. Then theres the sheer efficiency of how her body works. She wasnt great at skills or drills we would try and teach her. [87] Ledecky withdrew from the 800-meter freestyle race due to illness. TOKYO Katie Ledecky has won her first gold of the Tokyo Olympics, in the 1,500 meter freestyle race. 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. In keeping with Ledeckys low-key personality, the goals stayed between them. They cant quantify this, but believe she hangs onto more water than other swimmers. The words were matter-of-fact, delivered without a trace of pretense. [124][125] In the same prelims session as the 1500 meter freestyle, Ledecky ranked first in the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 1:55.28 and advanced to the event's semifinals. At the 2017 US National Championships, the qualifying meet for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, Ledecky won the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle and earned a spot on six events. The collision of hand and water is one piece of a complex, fast-paced puzzle in which the grab and breathing and body rotation and head position and kick and proper body alignment and arms cutting into the pool at the precise angle must work in concert. She reset her American, NCAA, and U.S. Open records in the 800-yard freestyle relay, 500-yard freestyle, and 400-yard freestyle relay and won a meet-best five race titles overall. Nathan Fenno is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times focused on investigations, features and in-depth stories. National Team Director Frank Busch described Ledecky's 1500 performance as "the most impressive race I have ever seen, and I've been in the sport for 50 years. She's blazing a completely different trail than anyone who has come before. Katie Ledecky heads to Tokyo Olympics - The Washington Post [85] She finished third in the Associated Press's Female Athlete of the Decade voting, behind Serena Williams and Simone Biles. The time: 55.66 seconds. Katie Ledecky was born on March 17, 1997 in Washington, D.C. (via Britannica).One of her most memorable childhood moments was captured on camera, and she shared it with her Twitter followers in . [42] Ledecky lapped three competitors in the final and finished 27.33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Boyle. Im know Im supposed to be doing this too. Shes doing what everybody else does. Ledecky breaking an arm in fourth grade, but jumping back into the pool with a cast. They swam identical workouts. On the fourth day of competition, Ledecky tied for silver in the 200-meter freestyle (with Emma McKeon), finishing behind Federica Pellegrini with a time of 1:55.18. 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. The American . In the final, she joined Simone Manuel, Abbey Weitzeil, and Dana Vollmer and recorded a split of 52.79, helping the team earn a silver medal (behind Australia) with a time of 3:31.89, a new national record for the United States. Katie Ledecky reacts after competing in the womens 800-meter freestyle final during the U.S. Olympic trials at CHI Health Center on June 19 in Omaha, Neb. Ve svtovm baznu d nctilet kometa s eskmi koeny", "New York City City Marriage Licenses Index, 1950-1995", "The code to Katie Ledecky's goals in Rio", "Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky says her Catholic faith helps her 'put things in perspective', U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Katie Ledecky, 15, earns surprising berth, Katie Ledecky finishes high school career with Olympics, more world records in sight, Katie Ledecky commits to Stanford swimming, "Photo ReleaseHuntington Ingalls Industries Celebrates Ceremonial Steel-Cut for Aircraft Carrier Enterprise (CVN 80) at Newport News Shipbuilding", "Katie Ledecky couldn't pursue Olympic medals in 2020. Katie Ledecky owns her time. Her 3:57.36 on Sunday was the second-fastest she . Verified. Maybe the explanation is unknowable. Shes doing what everybody else does. [62] On the meet's final day, Ledecky joined Manuel, Neal, and Janet Hu to break the NCAA and American record in the 400-yard freestyle relay. 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. Is it her training? Thats not new. While Michael Phelps and his fighter-jet wingspan already have passed history by with a record 22 medals . He can count on one hand the number of times she was floored by a workout. [107], On day 4, June 16, she won both the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals in the evening. She won 10 Olympic medals, 7 of which were gold. Katie Ledecky competes in the womens 1500-meter freestyle during the U.S. Olympic swim trials on June 16 in Omaha, Neb. With the victory, Ledecky became the first swimmer, male or female, to win five consecutive world championship titles in an individual event. [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). "[18], During the championships' closing ceremonies, Ledecky was named the female swimmer of the meet.[43]. She is Unmarried. 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). [44] Ledecky was also named the female swimmer of the meet. 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. Since NCAA rules keep mens and womens swim teams that dont use the same coach from practicing together, Ledecky used lane 12 and Sweetser lane 11. In her third, and first relay event of her international career, the 4200-meter freestyle, Ledecky and teammates Shannon Vreeland, Karlee Bispo, and Missy Franklin won gold in 7:45.14. In Budapest, Ledecky broke the World Aquatics Championships' all-time female gold medal record, winning five golds and one silver to bring her career title total to 14. But she acknowledged having the same nerves as any other competitor at the trials and, in all sincerity, said she didnt take making the Tokyo Games for granted. 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. Ledecky began the year by breaking her own world records in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle at the 2014 Woodlands Swim Team Senior Invitational in June. Dinner. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 19 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. Ledecky's success has earned her Swimming World's Female World Swimmer of the Year a record-breaking five times. She has no long torso, no wide wingspan . [33] Anchor Missy Franklin overtook Australian Alicia Coutts in the last 200 meters, giving the US the gold. Trust me. Despite being in season and swimming multiple events, Ledecky was able to first break the world record in the 1500-meter freestyle with a time of 15:34.23,[36] bettering her previous mark of 15:36.53. Because of her analytical approach to training, she knows almost exactly how the race is going to go, Sweetser said. Take the 400 freestyle final at the trials. [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). Swimming the anchor leg, Ledecky recorded a split of 1:54.02, and the Americans finished with an aggregate time of 7:43.39. Ledecky's swim was the seventh-fastest performance in history. Gemmell warned other men in the training camp to be ready for Ledecky to beat them. [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. The next day, Ledecky anchored the United States team of Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Katie McLaughlin in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. During their next training session, he recalled, she said, Weve got to get our 40. She did. Ledecky trailed Quadarella into the final wall. She is the daughter of David Ledecky and Mary Gen Ledecky. Ledecky won by 4.13 seconds and just missed the world record by 0.53 seconds. [83], Ledecky collected several end-of-decade honors. At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, Ledecky won five gold medals and broke three world records. No. The Transformation Of Katie Ledecky From Toddler To 24 Years Old [68] Later that evening, Ledecky swam the third leg of the 4100-meter freestyle. But can I please just watch? [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. Thats why Bruce Gemmell quips that Ledecky would be content to race in a cardboard box. The Washington athlete is also holds the 800m and 1500m freestyle world records, and owns 18 of the 20 fastest 1500m freestyle times ever. 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. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Ledecky qualified to swim in the final of the 800-meter freestyle by placing third overall in the heats with a time of 8:23.84. Still recovering from illness, Ledecky qualified second the next day for the final of the 800-meter freestyle. Katie Ledecky studied at Stanford University. Shes kind of a freak athlete. To no surprise, Ledecky, who first broke the world record in the event in 2013, recorded the worlds top time in the event this year on the way to another victory. Ledecky has plenty, starting with the hip turn and core that provide much of her power. The swimmer wowed the world in 2012 when she competed in her first Olympics at just 15 and won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle competition. [139], On day 7, Ledecky won her final event by over 10 seconds, recording a time of 8:08.04 in the 800-meter freestyle. David Marsh, an assistant on the team who served as the womens coach in 2016, recalled coaches gathering when Ledecky swam. 'Gallop' or a 'giddy-up' Once the swimmers emerge from below the surface and. Notably, in the semifinals the day prior, Ledecky recorded the top time in the semifinals with a time of 1:54.69. It cant be easy to go train against Katie when you know youre going to get your head kicked in, said Keenan Robinson, Phelps longtime strength and conditioning coach. But Katie Ledecky would rather study it at Stanford once the Rio Games are in the past. Or perhaps the answer is more basic. And not even appearing winded? Katie Ledecky Moves Training Base to University of Florida She took silver in her first race of the Games, and then missed out on medaling in the 200 . How fast would Torri Huske, the 18-year-old phenom headed to Stanford this fall, swim in the 100 butterfly final? But the more coaches and trainers and competitors grasp for answers, the more the reality comes into focus. She has the 24 fastest swims of all time. Theres a lot of noise, said Janet Evans, the four-time Olympic gold medalist who is considered one of the greatest distance swimmers in history and now works as the chief athlete officer for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee. The same all-out approach Ledecky brought to the final 25 meters of the 200 freestyle at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics she edged Swedens Sarah Sjostrom by .35 seconds for gold despite feeling queasy happens regularly in practice with nothing at stake other than numbers on a clock. Katie Ledecky has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). Michael Phelps, the 28-time Olympic medalist, called Ledecky the greatest female swimmer of our time.. ", "Katie Ledecky is top qualifier in 400-meter freestyle", "Olympics 2021: Day 3 schedule, what to watch, results from Tokyo as Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky get started", "Ariarne Titmus vs Katie Ledecky - Watch Titmus Win Gold in the Women's 400m Freestyle Final at Tokyo 2020 Olympic", "Ledecky's Silver Medal Finish Still An Incredible Achievement", "Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap", "Katie Ledecky earns Olympic record, silver medal in busy day", "Watch: Ledecky Wins Both 200/1500 FR Heats, Douglass Wins 200 IM Prelims Heat", "2012 Olympic champion Allison Schmitt misses out on 200m freestyle final in Tokyo", "Katie Ledecky qualifies for 200m final, will face Titmus", "Katie Ledecky wins gold medal in 1,500 freestyle at Tokyo Olympics, US teammate Erica Sullivan takes silver", "Katie Ledecky 'let it go' in anchor leg of 4x200 relay, securing silver", "Katie Ledecky makes history with 6th individual gold, cements Olympic icon status, and she'll be back in 2024", "Olympic Champion Katie Ledecky Heads To Florida To Train Under Anthony Nesty", "The Week That Was: Katie Ledecky Announces Move to Gainesville, ISL Regular Season Concludes", "Katie Ledecky joining Florida Gators as volunteer swimming coach", "Ledecky stretches 22-medal record at worlds with 800 title", "Ledecky, Marchand Named FINA Swimmers of the Meet", "Katie Ledecky Pulls Away from Field to Retake 400 Free World Title", "Ledecky extends record medal haul at swimming worlds to 21", "Katie Ledecky Breaks 1500 Free World Record by 10 Seconds; Gets 800 AR En Route", "Katie Ledecky Breaks Second World Record In A Week", "Stanford Swimming Standout Katie Ledecky Wins Honda Cup; Named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year", "Swimming World December 2021 Presents 2021 World Swimmers of the Year: Caeleb Dressel and Emma McKeon", "SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2021: Women's #10 #1", "SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2022: Women's #10-1", "TIME Honors Distance Star Katie Ledecky As One Of Its Top 100 Influential People", "Katie Ledecky Claims Record-Tying Fifth USA Swimming Athlete of the Year Honor", "Stanford swimmer Katie Ledecky wins Honda Cup", "Katie Ledecky wins top academic honor among all Division I athletes", "ESPY Awards 2022: Katie Ledecky Wins Best Female Athlete Award", Katie Ledecky Stone Ridge School student-athlete profile, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katie_Ledecky&oldid=1140336672, 2022 Phillips 66 National Championships , USA Swimming Athlete of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, USA Swimming Performance of the Year Award: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Golden Goggle Female Race of the Year: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, Golden Goggle Breakout Performer of the Year: 2012, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 16:58.