Katie Ledecky’s passion for swimming, which began in her youth, has made her the most decorated woman Olympian at the Paris Olympic Games. On Thursday, the 27-year-old anchored the US team to a silver medal in the 4x200-metre freestyle, bringing her Olympic medal tally to 13 — eight gold, four silver, and one bronze. This surpassed the records of fellow Americans Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, and Australia’s Emma McKeon, cementing her status as the GOAT in distance swimming.
Ledecky trails only Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history, who has 28 medals including 23 gold, three silver, and two bronze. While Phelps excelled in the 100 to 400-metre distances, Ledecky has been an Olympic champion in every distance from 200 to 1500 metres, dominating the 800 and 1500-metre events.
Ledecky first gained prominence at the 2012 London Olympics, where, as a 15-year-old, she defeated reigning world champion Kate Ziegler in the 800-metre freestyle, marking the start of her extraordinary Olympic career.
Ledecky’s philosophy
“I try to make the good days great and take something positive from the days I’m not feeling my best,” Ledecky has said. This mindset has propelled her to greatness. She holds world records in the 800 and 1500-metre freestyles and remains undefeated in World Championships and the Olympics.
Born in Washington, DC in 1997, Ledecky began swimming at age six, inspired by her mother, a former college swimmer. During high school, she broke several long-standing American records and earned an athletic scholarship to Stanford University. At Stanford, Ledecky continued to excel, winning eight NCAA titles, setting 15 NCAA records, and leading her team to back-to-back NCAA and PAC-12 Championships.
Rivalry with Ariarne Titmus
Ariarne Titmus has been Ledecky’s chief rival. The Australian swimmer defeated Ledecky in the 400-metre freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics and defended her title in Paris, with Canada’s Summer McIntosh taking silver and Ledecky earning her only bronze of the Games. Titmus also led Australia to gold in the women’s 4x200-metre freestyle relay, setting the second-fastest Olympic time ever.
Comparing legends
The Americans finished 2.78 seconds behind in the relay, though Ledecky’s strong third leg helped her team move from third to second place. While Phelps is faster in shorter distances, Ledecky has a clear advantage in the 800 and 1500-metre events, with significant margins over her competitors.
Looking ahead
On Saturday, Ledecky will have another opportunity to add to her gold medal count and potentially equal the record for the most Olympic golds by a female athlete, held by former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Ledecky’s performance in the 800-metre heat on Friday, where she finished ahead of Paige Madden and Titmus with a time of 8:16.62, was off her personal best of 8:04.79.
“I’ve tried not to think too much about it,” Ledecky said of the records. “I’m just taking it one event at a time, aware of the challenges in each of my events. When all is said and done, I’ll enjoy it.”
Despite a recent loss to McIntosh in the 800 metres, Ledecky remains a dominant force in middle-distance swimming, with her GOAT status firmly established.
