Jump to content

Katie Ledecky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Wslack (talk | contribs) at 02:49, 27 July 2021 (Reverted edits by Dutjiang (talk) to last version by Tanis Coralee Leonhardi). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Katie Ledecky
Ledecky at the 2018 Golden Goggle Awards
Personal information
Full nameKatie Genevieve Ledecky
Born (1997-03-17) March 17, 1997 (age 27)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1][2]
Weight160 lb (73 kg)[2]
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubNation's Capital Swim Club (NCAP)
DC Trident
College teamStanford University
CoachYuri Suguiyama
Greg Meehan
Bruce Gemmell
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 5 2 0
World Championships (LC) 15 3 0
Pan Pacific Championships 8 1 1
Total 28 6 1
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 400 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2013 Barcelona 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2013 Barcelona 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2013 Barcelona 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2013 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2015 Kazan 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2015 Kazan 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2015 Kazan 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2015 Kazan 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2015 Kazan 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2017 Budapest 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2017 Budapest 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2017 Budapest 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2017 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2017 Budapest 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2019 Gwangju 800 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2017 Budapest 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2019 Gwangju 400 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2019 Gwangju 4×200 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Gold Coast 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2014 Gold Coast 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2014 Gold Coast 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2014 Gold Coast 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2014 Gold Coast 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tokyo 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tokyo 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tokyo 1500 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2018 Tokyo 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Tokyo 200 m freestyle

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky (/ləˈdɛki/; Czech pronunciation: [ˈlɛdɛtskiː]; born March 17, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer. She has won five Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She is the world record holder in the women's 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle (long course). She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, 1500, and 1650-yard freestyle events.

In her international debut at the 2012 London Olympic Games as a 15-year-old, Ledecky unexpectedly won the gold medal in the women's 800-metre freestyle. 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. In total, she has won 34 medals (28 golds, 5 silvers, and 1 bronze) in major international competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships. During her career, she has broken fourteen world records.

Ledecky's success has earned her Swimming World's Female World Swimmer of the Year a record-breaking five times. Ledecky was also named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2017, international female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe in 2014 and 2017, United States Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year in 2013, 2016 and 2017, and Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2017.[3] Ledecky's 11 individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships and 15 combined individual titles at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships are records in women's swimming.

Personal life

Ledecky before her last individual high school race

Ledecky was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in the Maryland suburb of Bethesda, Maryland,[4] the daughter of Mary Gen (Hagan) and David Ledecky. Her paternal grandfather, Dr. Jaromír Ledecký PhD (1927–2011),[5] was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), to Catholic parents who married at Kostel svaté Ludmily in Vinohrady.[6][7] His father was a quarter-Jewish procurator who had visited America in 1921.[8][9] Jaromír arrived in New York on 8 September 1947 as a student,[10] later becoming an economist, and married a Jewish woman in Brooklyn on 30 December 1956.[11][12][13][14] Ledecky's mother is of Irish descent.[15] Ledecky is Catholic.[16]

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. In Bethesda, she attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015.[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. Ledecky finished her high-school career as the holder of the Stone Ridge school record in every swimming event except the 100-meter breaststroke.[18]

Ledecky (middle) and Biles (left) sign steel plate of USS Enterprise.

During the summer of 2012, she trained with the Nation's Capital Swim Club (formerly the Curl Burke Swim Club) under coach Yuri Suguiyama. Following Suguiyama's departure to coach for the University of California, Berkeley, she continued to train with the Nation's Capital Swim Club under coach Bruce Gemmell through the 2016 Olympics. During the summers prior to 2012, she swam for Palisades Swim Team in Cabin John, Maryland. Ledecky accepted an athletic scholarship to Stanford University, where she swam for coach Greg Meehan's Stanford Cardinal women's swimming team.[19]

In December 2016, Ledecky was chosen as one of the sponsors of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise alongside gymnast Simone Biles. They are the first Olympians to be given this honor.[20]

Her uncle is businessman and New York Islanders owner Jon Ledecky.[21]

In December 2020, she completed the required courses for a bachelor of arts in psychology from Stanford University,[22][23] and graduated in June 2021.[24]

Swimming career

2012

US Olympic Trials

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska (her first senior national competition), Ledecky made the Olympic team by placing first in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:19.78, which was over two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kate Ziegler.[25] In Omaha, Ledecky also placed third in the 400-meter freestyle (4:05.00) and ninth in the 200-meter freestyle (1:58.66).[26][27] Her third-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle was the fastest time ever swum by a 15- to 16-year-old American.[28] At 15 years, 4 months, and 10 days, she was the youngest American participant at the 2012 Olympic Games.[29]

Summer Olympic Games

See also: Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:14.63 (AR)

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.[30] In the final, Ledecky stunned the field, winning gold by more than four seconds, with a time of 8:14.63, the then second-fastest effort of all time just behind Rebecca Adlington's world record of 8:14.10 set in 2008.[31] In addition, she broke Janet Evans' American record of 8:16.22 that had stood since 1989. In the final, Ledecky went out hard and, by the 200-meter mark, she had already established an almost body-length lead. Her 400-meter split was 4:04.34, a personal best for Ledecky in that distance, and would have placed fifth in the individual 400-meter freestyle. At the 750-meter mark, Ledecky was 3.42 seconds ahead of Mireia Belmonte García, and 0.31 seconds under world record pace. Ledecky won by 4.13 seconds and just missed the world record by 0.53 seconds. Her gold was the first international medal of her career, earning her the 2012 Best Female Performance of the Year and Breakout Performer of the Year at the Golden Goggle Awards.

2013

At the 2013 US National Championships, Ledecky qualified to swim in four individual events and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, though she later dropped the 200-meter freestyle from her program. At the National Championships, she finished first in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle, and second in the 200-meter freestyle.

World Championships

2013 World Championships
Gold medal – first place 400 m freestyle 3:59.82 (AR)
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:13.86 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 1500 m freestyle 15:36.53 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 4×200 m freestyle 7:45.14

At the 2013 World Championships, Ledecky won gold in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle, and in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and set two world records. In winning the 400 through 1500-meter titles, she became the second woman ever to win the events in a World Championships since German Hannah Stockbauer in 2003. 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.[32]

Ledecky speaks to students at Rickard Elementary School in Williston, North Dakota.

In her second event, Ledecky won gold in the 1500-meter freestyle in a world record time of 15:36.53, breaking the record held by compatriot Kate Ziegler by six seconds.[33] The hard-fought race saw Ledecky overcome Dane Lotte Friis in the final few hundred meters after losing the lead at the 300-meter mark and included a final 50 split of 29.47.

In her third, and first relay event of her international career, the 4×200-meter freestyle, Ledecky and teammates Shannon Vreeland, Karlee Bispo, and Missy Franklin won gold in 7:45.14.[34] Anchor Missy Franklin overtook Australian Alicia Coutts in the last 200 meters, giving the US the gold. Ledecky provided the US with an early lead, swimming the first leg in a personal best of 1:56.32.

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. Much like the 1500-meter freestyle, Ledecky let Lotte Friis lead most of the race, making a move at the 650-meter mark to eventually win the race by 2.46 seconds.[35]

Ledecky scored more points than any other swimmer to earn the FINA trophy for best female swimmer of the meet.[36]

At year's end, Ledecky was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine. She was also named the best female swimmer for 2013 by FINA Aquatics World magazine.

2014

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. 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,[37] bettering her previous mark of 15:36.53. Three days later, Ledecky then broke the world record in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:11.00,[38] bettering her previous mark of 8:13.86.

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. In the 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky set her third world record of the year by breaking Federica Pellegrini's 2009 world record of 3:59.15 with a time of 3:58.86. With her mark in the 400, Ledecky became the first female since Janet Evans to hold world records simultaneously in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyles.[39]

Pan Pacific Championships

2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 200 m freestyle 1:55.74 (CR)
Gold medal – first place 400 m freestyle 3:58.37 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:11.35 (CR)
Gold medal – first place 1500 m freestyle 15:28.36 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 4×200 m freestyle 7:46.40 (CR)

At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Ledecky won five gold medals and broke two world records. Her wins came in the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle. Ledecky almost broke the world record in the 800-meter freestyle, finishing with a time of 8:11.35. Her world records came in the 400- and 1500-meter freestyles, with times of 3:58.37 and 15:28.36, respectively. She became the first woman to win four individual gold medals at a single Pan Pacific Championship.[40]

Ledecky after breaking the 1500-meter freestyle world record at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships

In the 200-meter freestyle final, Ledecky had over a half-second lead on the field at the halfway point before winning by 1.46 seconds with a meet record time of 1:55.74. 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.[41]

The next day, Ledecky added her third meet record by swimming on the American 4×200-meter freestyle relay team with Shannon Vreeland, Missy Franklin, and Leah Smith. Swimming the anchor leg, Ledecky erased a 1.2-second deficit going into the final leg of the race, passing Australia's Melanie Schlanger with a 1:54.36 split over the final 200 meters. She also swam in the 100-meter freestyle heats.

On the third day of the meet, Ledecky set her fourth meet record in the 400-meter freestyle prelim heats with a time of 4:03.09. That night, Ledecky lowered the record again, setting the first world record ever at the new Gold Coast Aquatic Center with a time of 3:58.37. Ledecky's winning time was over six seconds quicker than American teammate and silver medalist Cierra Runge.[42]

On the meet's final day, Ledecky set her fifth world record of the year, lowering her record in the 1500-meter freestyle by nearly six seconds with a time of 15:28.36. Ledecky swam the second half of the race faster than the first, completing the final 800 meters in 8:14.11—faster than any other woman has completed a regular 800-meter race in a textile suit.[43] Ledecky lapped three competitors in the final and finished 27.33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Boyle. 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."[18]

During the championships' closing ceremonies, Ledecky was named the female swimmer of the meet.[44]

At year's end, Ledecky was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.

2015

World Championships

2015 World Championships
Gold medal – first place 200 m freestyle 1:55.16
Gold medal – first place 400 m freestyle 3:59.13 (CR)
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:07.39 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 1500 m freestyle 15:25.48 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 4×200 m freestyle 7:45.37

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, Ledecky won five gold medals and broke three world records. Her wins came in the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyles and the 4×200-meter freestyle. Her world records came in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyles. Ledecky is the first swimmer to win the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyles in a major competition.[45] Ledecky was also named the female swimmer of the meet.

Ledecky began the World Championships by winning gold in the 400-meter freestyle in a time of 3:59.13, a new championship record and almost four seconds ahead of her closest competitor.[46]

Ledecky after her win in the 400-meter freestyle in Kazan

In the heats of the 1500-meter freestyle on the second day of competition, Ledecky broke her own world record in a time of 15:27.71.[47]

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. 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. In the 1500-meter freestyle, Ledecky broke her own world record in a time of 15:25.48.[48] Twenty-nine minutes later, Ledecky qualified 6th in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:56.76.[49]

In her only event on the fourth day of competition, the 200-meter freestyle, Ledecky won her third gold medal of the meet, winning in a time of 1:55.16. Unlike her other races, it was not an easy win for Ledecky, which featured the likes of Missy Franklin and Federica Pellegrini. In the end, Ledecky was able to hold off a fast charging Pellegrini, eventually winning by a 0.16 margin. Ledecky's final 50-meter split of 29.33 was the second-fastest in the field behind Pellegrini's 29.23.[50]

On the fifth day of competition, Ledecky, with Missy Franklin, Leah Smith, and Katie McLaughlin won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Swimming the anchor leg, Ledecky recorded a split of 1:55.64 and the Americans finished with an aggregate time of 7:45.37.

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.[45]

2016

Ledecky began 2016 at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Austin. On the final day of competition, she reset her world record in the 800-meter freestyle, clocking a time of 8:06.68.[51] Earlier in the meet, she set world-leading times in the 200- and 400-meter freestyles and a U.S.-leading time in the 100-meter freestyle.

US Olympic Trials

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. Ledecky opened the Trials with a win and meet record in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.98). Two days later, she recorded a time of 1:54.88 en route to winning the 200-meter freestyle. On July 1, Ledecky broke Janet Evans's 28-year-old national championship record in the morning preliminary heats of the 800-meter freestyle (8:10.91) before placing seventh that evening in the 100-meter freestyle (53.99). The next day, Ledecky lowered her meet record, winning the 800-meter freestyle final by nearly 10 seconds (8:10.32). With her pair of swims in the 800-meter freestyle, Ledecky took control of the top 11 fastest times in the event's history.[52] At the conclusion of the week, Ledecky was named the female swimmer of the meet.[53]

Summer Olympic Games

See also: Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics
Gold medal – first place 200 m freestyle 1:53.73
Gold medal – first place 400 m freestyle 3:56.46 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:04.79 (WR)
Gold medal – first place 4×200 m freestyle relay 7:43.03
Silver medal – second place 4×100 m freestyle relay 3:31.89 (AR)

Ledecky's first event in the 2016 Summer Olympics was the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, swimming the anchor leg for the United States in both the prelims and final. Ledecky recorded a split of 52.64 in the heats. 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.[54]

Her first individual event was the 400-meter freestyle. Ledecky qualified in the heats with a time of 3:58.71, an Olympic record. In the final, she won the gold medal with a world record time of 3:56.46––nearly two seconds faster than her previous record from 2014 and almost 5 seconds ahead of the silver medalist, Jazmin Carlin.[55]

Ledecky swimming at the 2016 Olympic Games

Ledecky won a second gold in the 200-meter freestyle with a personal best of 1:53.73, beating Sarah Sjöström by 0.35 seconds.[56]

Ledecky claimed her third gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, with Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Maya DiRado. Swimming the anchor leg again, Ledecky provided the fastest split of the field (1:53.74) to turn a 0.89-second deficit into a 1.84-second victory, stopping the clock at 7:43.03.[57]

She won a fourth gold in her final individual event, the 800-meter freestyle. She qualified in the heats with an Olympic record, 8:12.86, and set a world record in the finals of 8:04.79, over 11 seconds faster than the silver medalist, Jazmin Carlin.

Ledecky accepts her award for "Female Athlete of the Olympic Games" at the U.S. Olympic Committee Team USA Award Show in Washington, D.C.

With three individual titles, Ledecky became the first swimmer to win the 200, 400 and 800 m freestyle at the same Olympics since Debbie Meyer did so in 1968 in Mexico City.[58] Ledecky's final medal total (four golds, one silver) is the most decorated single-Olympics performance by a U.S. female athlete in terms of gold medals, topping Missy Franklin (2012; four golds, 1 bronze), Simone Biles (2016; four golds, 1 bronze), and Amy Van Dyken (1996; four golds).[59] Ledecky was also the 2nd most decorated Olympian at the 2016 games behind Michael Phelps (5 golds, 1 silver).[60]

2017

NCAA Season

During the 2016–17 NCAA season, Ledecky set 12 NCAA records and nine American records while swimming as a freshman for Stanford University.

At the Ohio State Invitational in November 2016, Ledecky lowered her American and U.S. Open marks in the women's 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle.[61]

At the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington, Ledecky earned Swimmer of the Meet honors with four American records as Stanford won its first conference title in four years. On the first day of the meet, Ledecky anchored the 800-yard freestyle relay with a 1:40.28 split to break the NCAA, American, and U.S. Open record in the 800-yard freestyle relay with Lia Neal, Katie Drabot, and Ella Eastin. The next day, Ledecky lowered her own mark again in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:25.15.[62] 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.[63] 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.

At the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ledecky helped lead Stanford to its first team title since 1998. 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. 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.[64] The next day, she lowered her own record in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:24.06, beating the second-fastest performer of all-time, Leah Smith, by nearly five seconds. On the meet's third day, Ledecky's 20th birthday, Ledecky recorded a personal-best time of 1:40.36 in the 200-yard freestyle to edge Manuel and tie Louisville sophomore Mallory Comerford for the title.[65] 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.[66] In the meet's final event, Ledecky joined Manuel, Neal, and Hu to swim the second leg of Stanford's 400-yard freestyle relay. The team lowered its previous record with a time of 3:07.61, securing a 526.5–366 decision over runner-up California-Berkeley, the largest championship margin of victory since 2003.[67]

Following the season, Ledecky became the first freshman in 35 years to receive the Honda Cup, which recognizes the nation's top female collegiate athlete.[68]

World Championships

2017 World Championships
Gold medal – first place 400 m freestyle 3:58.34 (CR)
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:12.68
Gold medal – first place 1500 m freestyle 15:31.82
Gold medal – first place 4×100 m freestyle 3:31.72 (AR)
Gold medal – first place 4×200 m freestyle 7:43.39
Silver medal – second place 200 m freestyle 1:55.18

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.

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.

In her first event, the 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky successfully defended her world title, finishing with a championship record time of 3:58.34.[69] Later that evening, Ledecky swam the third leg of the 4×100-meter freestyle. Joined with Mallory Comerford, Kelsi Worrell, and Simone Manuel, Ledecky recorded a split of 53.83, helping the team win gold with a time of 3:31.72, a new national record for the United States.[70]

Results scoreboard for the women's 1500-meter freestyle World Championship final in Budapest

On the third day of competition, Ledecky defended her 1500-meter freestyle title, winning with a time of 15:31.82. With this win being Ledecky's twelfth World Championship gold medal, Ledecky passed Missy Franklin for the most gold medals won by a female swimmer in long course World Championships history.[71]

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. This was Ledecky's first international loss in a final in individual event. Notably, in the semifinals the day prior, Ledecky recorded the top time in the semifinals with a time of 1:54.69. She achieved this result less than an hour after swimming the 1500-meter freestyle final.

On the fifth day of competition, Ledecky, with Leah Smith, Mallory Comerford, and Melanie Margalis won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. 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 concluded the meet with a win in the 800-meter freestyle, her fifth-straight title in the event across Olympics and World Championships.

2018

NCAA Season

During the 2017–18 NCAA season, Ledecky set another three NCAA records and two American records while helping lead Stanford to its second straight team title.

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.[72]

Following another undefeated dual meet season, Ledecky earned Swimmer of the Meet honors for the second straight year at the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, sweeping the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley, and 200-yard freestyle. In the 400-yard individual medley, Ledecky broke Katinka Hosszú's all-time record by one-hundredth of a second, finishing in 3:56.53. Stanford earned its second team title in as many years.[73]

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. 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. In the 1650-yard freestyle, Ledecky re-set her NCAA record in the 1000-yard free with a split of 9:05.89 en route to winning by more than 28 seconds. In the team standings, Stanford beat runner-up California-Berkeley by 220 points, the largest margin of victory in 25 years.[74]

A week following Stanford's championship win, Ledecky announced at the National Press Club that she will forego her final two seasons of NCAA eligibility in order to accept professional endorsement and sponsorship opportunities.[75] She signed with Wasserman sports agent Dan Levy for representation.[76]

Professional career

Ledecky made her debut as a professional swimmer on May 16, 2018, at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she beat her old world record in the 1500-meter freestyle, setting a new world record of 15:20.48. She broke the existing mark by five seconds.[77]

Ledecky announcing her partnership with TYR Sport, inc. in June 2018.

Ledecky signed her first sponsorship deal with TYR Sport, Inc. on June 8, 2018.[78]

In July 2018, at the US National Swimming Championships, Ledecky qualified for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships by finishing first in the 200-,[79] 400-, and 800-meter freestyle.[80]

Pan Pacific Championships

2018 Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 400 m freestyle 3:58.50
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:09.13 (CR)
Gold medal – first place 1500 m freestyle 15:38.97
Silver medal – second place 4×200 m freestyle 7:44.37
Bronze medal – third place 200 m freestyle 1:55.15

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. She also took bronze in the 200-meter freestyle and silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle.

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. Just over an hour later, Ledecky took third in the 200-meter freestyle (1:55.15), finishing behind Canada's Taylor Ruck (1:54.44) and Japan's Rikako Ikee (1:54.85).

The next day, Ledecky anchored the United States team of Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Katie McLaughlin in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. 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.

On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle.[81]

Ledecky concluded the championships with another gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle, winning by a margin of 21.11-seconds (15:38.97).

2019

World Championships

2019 World Championships
Gold medal – first place 800 m freestyle 8:13.58
Silver medal – second place 400 m freestyle 3:59.97
Silver medal – second place 4×200 m freestyle 7:41.87 (AR)

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.

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. The next morning, Ledecky struggled through her preliminary heat of the 1500-meter freestyle despite qualifying first for the event's final. She subsequently announced her withdrawal from the 1500 and 200-meter freestyle due to illness.[82]

Ledecky returned to competition three days later to swim the final of the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. The Americans (Simone Manuel, Ledecky, Melanie Margalis and Katie McLaughlin) set a new American record and swam under the existing world record with a time of 7:41.87, yet placed second to the Australian team (7:41.50).

Still recovering from illness, Ledecky qualified second the next day for the final of the 800-meter freestyle. In the final, Ledecky swam to an early lead before Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella took over midway through the race. Ledecky trailed Quadarella into the final wall. Ledecky passed Quadarella and pulled away in the final 50 meters to win by 1.41 seconds.

In the inaugural season of the International Swimming League, Ledecky represented DC Trident.[83]

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).[84]

Ledecky collected several end-of-decade honors. Fifty-two percent of SwimSwam.com readers voted Ledecky the top swimmer of the decade, ahead of Michael Phelps.[85] Readers of The London Evening Standard voted Ledecky the International Sportswoman of the Decade.[86] She finished third in the Associated Press's Female Athlete of the Decade voting, behind Serena Williams and Simone Biles.[87]

2020

Ledecky began 2020 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, where she won the 200-, 400- and 1500-meter freestyle races. [88] Ledecky withdrew from the 800-meter freestyle race due to illness.[89] Ledecky did not compete at any other events during 2020.[90]

2021

Ledecky began 2021 at the TYR Pro Swim Series at San Antonio, Texas. She won the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle races.[91]

On Thursday May 20, 2021 at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite Ledecky won the long course 100 meter freestyle final by one one-hundredth of a second in a time of 53.82 with second place going to Simone Manuel.[92]

2020 US Olympic Trials

As part of the NBC evening telecast for day one of the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials (postponed to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Ledecky was featured in an interview discussing Stanford University's commencement, finishing her college degree, and training for the Olympic Trials.[93]

On the second day, 14 June 2021, Ledecky competed in the prelims of the 400 meter freestyle in the morning, swimming a 4:03.07, ranking 1st out of all prelims heats, and advancing to the final in the evening.[94][95] The 400 meter freestyle was the first race on Ledecky's schedule where she had the opportunity to make the 2020 USA Olympic Team.[96] In the evening final of the 400 meter freestyle, Ledecky finished first with a time of 4:01.27, securing her first spot on her third US Olympic Team swimming the 400 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[97][98][99][100] This accomplishment was highlighted by various news outlets including NBC Sports, Newsweek, and USA Today.[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.[104] Two events later, she swam a 15:43.10 in the 1500 meter freestyle prelims, ranking as the fastest swimmer of prelims heat, advancing to the final, and setting a new Championship Record over four seconds faster than the previous record she set in 2013.[105][106] Later the same day in the evening semifinals for the 200 meter freestyle, Ledecky finished first with a time of 1:55.83.[107]

On day 4, June 16, she won both the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals in the evening.[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.[109][111] She swam a 1:55.11 in the 200 meter freestyle.[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.[111] Ledecky won the 200 meter and 1500 meter freestyle finals in a time span of about 70 minutes as well as collecting her medal at the 200 meter freestyle medal ceremony and eating a snack.[112][113][114]

Friday June 18, 2021, the sixth day of competition, Ledecky won with a time of 8:16.61 in the prelims heats of the 800-meter freestyle and advanced to the final.[115][116] The following day in the final, Ledecky won with a time of 8:14.62 and qualified to swim the 800 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the United States.[117][118]

2020 Summer Olympics

See also: Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics
2020 Summer Olympics
Silver medal – second place 400 m freestyle 3:57.36

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Ledecky began her racing in the prelims of the 400 meter freestyle, ranking first overall with her time of 4:00.45 and advancing to the final.[119][120] However, she finished second to Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus to win the silver medal, trailing Titmus by half a second and after leading at the 300m mark.[121][122] For Ledecky, this was her first loss in an individual event at the Olympics.

In the debut of the women's 1500 meter freestyle at the Summer Olympics, Ledecky set an Olympic record in her prelims heat with a time of 15:35.35 and advanced to the final ranked first overall.[123][124] 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.[125]

Honors and awards

Ledecky was a USA Olympic team member in 2012 and 2016, and holds the record for most individual gold medals (11) and overall gold medals (15) at the World Aquatics Championships.

Her combined 15 individual titles at the Olympics (four) and World Aquatics Championships (11) are also a record for female swimmers.

Ledecky has also received the following awards:[126]

Personal bests

As of March 10, 2021
Long course
Event Time Meet Date Note(s)
50 m freestyle 25.45 2015 Arena Pro Swim Series – Minneapolis November 12, 2015
100 m freestyle 53.75 2016 Arena Pro Swim Series – Austin January 15, 2016
200 m freestyle 1:53.73 2016 Summer Olympics August 9, 2016
400 m freestyle 3:56.46 2016 Summer Olympics August 7, 2016 WR
800 m freestyle 8:04.79 2016 Summer Olympics August 12, 2016 WR
1500 m freestyle 15:20.48 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis May 16, 2018 WR
400 m individual medley 4:37.93 2016 Atlanta Classic Swim Meet – Atlanta May 13, 2016
Legend: WR – World record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg; b – B final; † – en route to final mark; tt – time trial
Short course (yards)
Event Time Meet Date Note(s)
200 y freestyle 1:40.36 2017 NCAA Div. I Championships – Indianapolis, Indiana March 17, 2017
500 y freestyle 4:24.06 2017 NCAA Div. I Championships – Indianapolis, Indiana March 16, 2017 NR
1000 y freestyle 8:59.65 2015 Nation's Capital Swim Club Invite – College Park, Maryland December 13, 2015 NR
1650 y freestyle 15:03.31 2017 Art Adamson Invitational – College Station, Texas November 18, 2017 NR
400 y individual medley 3:56.53 2018 Pac-12 Championships – Federal Way, Washington February 23, 2018
Legend: NR – American record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg; b – B final; † – en route to final mark; tt – time trial

World records

No. Event Time Meet Location Date Age
1 1500 m freestyle 15:36.53 2013 World Championships Barcelona, Spain July 30, 2013 16
2 800 m freestyle 8:13.86 2013 World Championships Barcelona, Spain August 3, 2013 16
3 1500 m freestyle (2) 15:34.23 2014 TWST Senior Invitational Shenandoah, Texas June 19, 2014 17
4 800 m freestyle (2) 8:11.00 2014 TWST Senior Invitational Shenandoah, Texas June 22, 2014 17
5 400 m freestyle 3:58.86 2014 National Championships Irvine, California August 9, 2014 17
6 400 m freestyle (2) 3:58.37 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Gold Coast, Australia August 23, 2014 17
7 1500 m freestyle (3) 15:28.36 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Gold Coast, Australia August 24, 2014 17
8 1500 m freestyle (4) 15:27.71 2015 World Championships Kazan, Russia August 3, 2015 18
9 1500 m freestyle (5) 15:25.48 2015 World Championships Kazan, Russia August 4, 2015 18
10 800 m freestyle (3) 8:07.39 2015 World Championships Kazan, Russia August 8, 2015 18
11 800 m freestyle (4) 8:06.68 2016 Arena Pro Swim Series Austin, Texas January 17, 2016 18
12 400 m freestyle (3) 3:56.46 2016 Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 7, 2016 19
13 800 m freestyle (5) 8:04.79 2016 Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 12, 2016 19
14 1500 m freestyle (6) 15:20.48 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series Indianapolis, Indiana May 16, 2018 21

See also

References

  1. ^ "LEDECKY Katie". Rio2016.com. Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Katie Ledecky". TeamUSA.org. United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Roxanna Scott, "Katie Ledecky wins Female Athlete of the Olympic Games," USA Today (September 29, 2016). Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  4. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Katie Ledecky". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  5. ^ Ledecky (2011). "United States Social Security Death Index". FamilySearch.
  6. ^ "Could fast skier Ester Ledecka and fast swimmer Katie Ledecky be distant cousins?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Catalogue". katalog.ahmp.cz. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Ledecky (1921). "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924". FamilySearch.
  9. ^ "The Catalogue". katalog.ahmp.cz. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Ledecky (1947). "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957". FamilySearch.
  11. ^ "Gold medalist swimmer inspired by her Jewish history". Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Grim, Filip (August 1, 2013). "Pozor, vlny. Ve světovém bazénu řádí náctiletá kometa s českými kořeny" [Attention, waves! There is a teenage comet with Czech roots raging in the world pool]. Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  13. ^ Price, S.L. (June 1, 2016). "Back to her roots: How Katie Ledecky became so dominant in the pool". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  14. ^ Ledecky (1956). "New York, New York City Marriage Licenses Index, 1950-1995". FamilySearch.
  15. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (June 20, 2016). "The code to Katie Ledecky's goals in Rio". NBC. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  16. ^ Seegers, Kelly (July 28, 2016). "Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky says her Catholic faith helps her 'put things in perspective'". Catholic Standard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Amy Shipley, "U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Katie Ledecky, 15, earns surprising berth," The Washington Post (July 1, 2012). Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  18. ^ a b Dave Sheinin, "Katie Ledecky finishes high school career with Olympics, more world records in sight," The Washington Post (February 4, 2015). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  19. ^ Bryan Flaherty, "Katie Ledecky commits to Stanford swimming Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine," The Washington Post (May 15, 2014). Retrieved May 15, 2014
  20. ^ Industries, Huntington Ingalls. "Photo Release—Huntington Ingalls Industries Celebrates Ceremonial Steel-Cut for Aircraft Carrier Enterprise (CVN 80) at Newport News Shipbuilding". Huntington Ingalls Newsroom. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  21. ^ Watt, Annie (July 27, 2012). "New York is like this". New York Social Diary. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  22. ^ Maese, Rick (November 30, 2020). "Katie Ledecky couldn't pursue Olympic medals in 2020. She got her degree instead". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  23. ^ Frye, Andy (December 21, 2020). "What's Next For Super Olympian Katie Ledecky?". Forbes. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  24. ^ Maese, Rick (June 11, 2021). "The graduate: What Katie Ledecky learned at Stanford and how it might make her faster". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (swimming) – Women's 800-metre freestyle (final)". Omega Timing. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  26. ^ "2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (swimming) – Women's 400-metre freestyle (final)". Omega Timing. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  27. ^ "2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (swimming) – Women's 200 metre freestyle (semifinals)". Omega Timing. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  28. ^ Amy Shipley, "U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Katie Ledecky breaks Janet Evans's 400 freestyle age group record," The Washington Post (June 27, 2012). Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  29. ^ "More Women Than Men on U.S. Team". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  30. ^ "Swimming at the 2012 London Summer Games: Women's 800 metres freestyle round one". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  31. ^ "Swimming at the 2012 London Summer Games: Women's 800 metres freestyle final". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  32. ^ Newberry, Paul (July 28, 2013). "Katie Ledecky wins 400 freestyle at world championships". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  33. ^ "Katie Ledecky smashes 1500m freestyle world record for a golden double". The Guardian. Associated Press. July 30, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  34. ^ "15th FINA World Championships – Women's 4x200m Freestyle". Omega Timing. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  35. ^ Svrluga, Barry (August 8, 2013). "Bethesda's Katie Ledecky sets world record in 800-meter freestyle, wins fourth gold medal of world championships". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  36. ^ Rogers, Iain (August 4, 2013). "Driving test looming for Ledecky after Barcelona splash". Reuters.
  37. ^ Daniel Gately (June 20, 2014). "Katie Ledecky World Record 1500 meter swim at 2014 TWST Senior Invite". Retrieved August 23, 2014 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ Daniel Gately (June 23, 2014). "Katie Ledecky World Record 800 Meter Free at 2014 TWST Senior Invite". Retrieved August 23, 2014 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ Nick Zaccardi, "Janet Evans sees parallels with Katie Ledecky," NBC Sports (August 14, 2014). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  40. ^ Karen Crouse, "Katie Ledecky Sets World Record in 1,500-Meter Freestyle," The New York Times (August 24, 2014). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  41. ^ Jason Marsteller, "Pan Pacific Championships, Results: Katie Ledecky Trounces Pan Pacs Record in 200 Free," Swimming World (August 21, 2014). Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  42. ^ Jason Marsteller, "Katie Ledecky Smashes 400 Free World Record, Nearly Clears 3:58! (Pan Pacific Championships Results)," Swimming World (August 23, 2014). Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  43. ^ "LCM Women Records as of 2/21/2015," USA Swimming. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  44. ^ Elliott Almond, "Stanford-bound swimmer Katie Ledecky sets world record," San Jose Mercury News (August 25, 2014). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  45. ^ a b Karen Crouse, "Katie Ledecky Wins 800 in Record Time, Completing World Championships Sweep," The New York Times (August 8, 2015). Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  46. ^ Jason Marsteller, "Katie Ledecky Making Sub-4:00 Look Pedestrian With Meet Record to Defend 400 Free Title at 2015 FINA World Championships," Swimming World (August 2, 2015). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  47. ^ Karen Crouse, "Katie Ledecky Breaks World Record, Almost by Accident," The New York Times (August 3, 2015). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  48. ^ "16th FINA World Championships – Women's 1500 metre freestyle (final)". Omega Timing. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  49. ^ "16th FINA World Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle (semifinals)". Omega Timing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  50. ^ Dave Sheinin, "Katie Ledecky expands world dominance with 200 freestyle title," The Washington Post (August 5, 2015). Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  51. ^ Bryan Flaherty, "Katie Ledecky does it again, breaks world record in 800 free," The Washington Post (January 17, 2016). Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  52. ^ Karl Ortegon, "Katie Ledecky Now Owns the 10 Fastest 800 Free Times Ever," SwimSwam (July 1, 2016). Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  53. ^ Hannah Hecht, "Ledecky, Phelps Named Swimmers of the Meet," SwimSwam (July 3, 2016). Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  54. ^ "Women's 4x100m freestyle relay". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  55. ^ Futterman, Matthew. "Katie Ledecky Wins Gold in 400-Meter Freestyle". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  56. ^ "Women's 200m freestyle". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  57. ^ "Women's 4x200m freestyle relay". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  58. ^ Crouse, Karen (August 12, 2016). "Katie Ledecky Smashes World Record in the 800-Meter Freestyle". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  59. ^ Lutz, Rachel (August 12, 2016). "Katie Ledecky Defends 800m Free Title To Win 4th Gold in Rio". NBC Olympics. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  60. ^ "Olympics – Google Search". Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  61. ^ Ortegon, Karl. "Ledecky Wins 1650 By A Minute, Breaks American, NCAA Records At OSU". Swim Swam. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  62. ^ Neidigh, Lauren. "Ledecky Scorches NCAA, American Records With 4:25.15 500 Free". Swim Swam. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  63. ^ Zaccardi, Nick. "Katie Ledecky Beaten by Simone Manuel, Still Sets Two Personal Bests". NBC Olympics. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  64. ^ D'Addona, Dan. "Stanford Smashes Relay Record". Swimming World. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  65. ^ Martinelli, Michelle R. "A Louisville Swimmer Managed To Tie Katie Ledecky in an NCAA Championship Race". For The Win. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  66. ^ Zaccardi, Nick. "Ledecky Laps All But One Swimmer To Win NCAA Title". NBC OlympicTalk. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  67. ^ D'Addona, Dan. "Stanford Wins First NCAA Swimming and Diving Title Since 1998". Swimming World. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  68. ^ D'Addona, Dan. "Stanford Wins First NCAA Swimming and Diving Title Since 1998". Swimming World. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  69. ^ Blanchette, Rob. "Katie Ledecky Wins 400m Freestyle Gold Medal at World Aquatics Championships". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  70. ^ Goldberg, Rob. "Katie Ledecky, USA Win 4x100m Free Relay at 2017 World Aquatics Championships". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  71. ^ "Ledecky's Dozen: Passes Missy For Most World Champs Golds In History". SwimSwam. July 25, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  72. ^ "Ledecky Drops 15:03, Clips American Record". Flo Swimming. November 18, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  73. ^ "KATIE LEDECKY SMASHES 400 IM AMERICAN RECORD, TOPS NCAA RECORD IN 3:56.5". SwimSwam. February 23, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  74. ^ https://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/gametool/brackets/swimdive_d1_2018_final_results.pdf%7Ctitle=2018[permanent dead link] NCAA D1 Swimming & Diving Championships Results
  75. ^ "Katie Ledecky Turns Pro After Dominating College Swimming". The New York Times. March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  76. ^ "Katie Ledecky Signs with Wasserman Agent Dan Levy". SwimSwam. April 2, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  77. ^ Maese, Rick (May 16, 2018). "If you thought Katie Ledecky was done shattering world records, you were sorely mistaken". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  78. ^ Maese, Rick (June 8, 2018). "Katie Ledecky signs with TYR, her first endorsement deal since turning pro". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  79. ^ Keith, Braden. "Men Don't Move, but Ledecky Takes Women's Lead in PSS Standings". Swim Swam. Swim Swam. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  80. ^ Harris, Beth. "Ledecky cruises to easy win in 800 free at US Nationals". Associated Press. AP News. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  81. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (August 11, 2018). "Katie Ledecky wins 400m free at Pan Pacs, but she has company". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  82. ^ Harris, Beth (July 22, 2019). "Ledecky withdraws from 2 events at worlds due to illness". Associated Press. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  83. ^ Gibbs, Robert (June 11, 2019). "Natalie Coughlin to Return to Competition with the DC Trident". SwimSwam.
  84. ^ "Katie Ledecky wins by 30 seconds, takes back No. 1 ranking". NBC Sports OlympicTalk. December 7, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  85. ^ Anderson, Jared (January 8, 2020). "SwimSwam Pulse: 52.4% Pick Ledecky As Swimmer of the 2010s". SwimSwam.com. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  86. ^ Ouzia, Malik (January 3, 2020). "Lewis Hamilton voted Best British Sports Star of the Decade as Djokovic, Ledecky and Kuneida also triumph". London Evening Standard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  87. ^ Fendrich, Howard (December 28, 2019). "Serena Williams aces AP athlete of the decade honors". Associated Press. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  88. ^ OlympicTalk (March 7, 2020). "Katie Ledecky, after being slowed by illness, showcases her speed". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  89. ^ Neidigh, Lauren (March 7, 2020). "2020 PSS - Des Moines: Ledecky Scratches 800 Free on Day 4". SwimSwam. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  90. ^ Maese, Rick (March 3, 2021). "With eyes on Tokyo, Katie Ledecky returns to find out what a difference a year makes". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  91. ^ "Katie Ledecky wins all four of her events, Simone Manuel takes 50-meter crown at TYR Pro Swim Series". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  92. ^ "Meet Results: Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite 5/20/2021 - 5/23/2021". HY-TEK. May 20, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  93. ^ "Swimming". 2020 US Olympic Team Trials from CHI Health Center Omaha. NBC, KING-TV, Seattle, June 13, 2021.
  94. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 400m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  95. ^ Anderson, Jared (June 14, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  96. ^ OlympicTalk (June 14, 2021). "Katie Ledecky's first opportunity to make Tokyo Olympic team has arrived in 400m freestyle". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  97. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 400m Freestyle Final Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  98. ^ Sutherland, James (June 14, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 2 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  99. ^ Stanford Athletics (June 14, 2021). "Tickets Punched: Katie Ledecky and Torri Huske are Tokyo Bound". Stanford University. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  100. ^ Rieder, David (June 14, 2021). "U.S. Olympic Trials: Katie Ledecky Swims 4:01.27 to Qualify for Third Olympics; Paige Madden Pulls Away for Second". Swimming World. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  101. ^ OlympicTalk (June 14, 2021). "Katie Ledecky relieved to check the box after qualifying for third Olympics". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  102. ^ McDonald, Scott (June 14, 2021). "Katie Ledecky vs Ariarne Titmus Rivalry Emerges in 400m Freestyle Before Tokyo". Newsweek. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  103. ^ Brennan, Christine (June 14, 2021). "Katie Ledecky makes US Olympic team with win in women's 400-meter freestyle". USA Today. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  104. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 200m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  105. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 1500m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  106. ^ Anderson, Jared (June 15, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic trials Wave II: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  107. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 200m Freestyle Semifinals Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  108. ^ a b "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 200m Freestyle Final Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  109. ^ a b "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 1500m Freestyle Final Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  110. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (June 16, 2021). "Katie Ledecky, after chats with legends, wins two races in one night at Olympic Swimming Trials". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  111. ^ a b Sutherland, James (June 16, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 4 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  112. ^ Maese, Rick (June 16, 2021). "For Katie Ledecky, the long and short of it is first place in both the 1,500 and 200 freestyle". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  113. ^ Kumar, Aishwarya (June 16, 2021). "Katie Ledecky shows dominance, poise at U.S. Olympics swim trials". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  114. ^ Associated Press (June 17, 2021). "Katie Ledecky wins 1500m free 70 minutes after 200m at US Olympic Trials". The Guardian. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  115. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 800m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  116. ^ Anderson, Jared (June 18, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 6 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  117. ^ "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 800m Freestyle Final Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  118. ^ Sutherland, James (June 19, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 7 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  119. ^ "Katie Ledecky is top qualifier in 400-meter freestyle". ESPN. July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  120. ^ Taranto, Steven (July 25, 2021). "Olympics 2021: Day 3 schedule, what to watch, results from Tokyo as Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky get started". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  121. ^ "Ariarne Titmus vs Katie Ledecky - Watch Titmus Win Gold in the Women's 400m Freestyle Final at Tokyo 2020 Olympic". July 25, 2021.
  122. ^ Goldich, Mitch (July 26, 2021). "Ledecky's Silver Medal Finish Still An Incredible Achievement". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  123. ^ Anderson, Jared (July 26, 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  124. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (July 26, 2021). "Katie Ledecky earns Olympic record, silver medal in busy day". Fox News. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  125. ^ Pecoraro, Nick (July 26, 2021). "Watch: Ledecky Wins Both 200/1500 FR Heats, Douglass Wins 200 IM Prelims Heat". SwimSwam. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  126. ^ a b "Stanford Swimming Standout Katie Ledecky Wins Honda Cup; Named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year". CWSA. June 26, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  127. ^ Evans, Janet (April 21, 2016). "TIME 100 Titans Katie Ledecky". Time. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  128. ^ Lohn, John (April 21, 2016). "TIME Honors Distance Star Katie Ledecky As One Of Its Top 100 Influential People". Swimvortex. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  129. ^ "Katie Ledecky Claims Record-Tying Fifth USA Swimming Athlete of the Year Honor". USA Swimming. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  130. ^ "Ledecky Wins Honda Award". Go Stanford. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  131. ^ "Stanford swimmer Katie Ledecky wins Honda Cup". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2017.[dead link]
  132. ^ Allen, Scott (July 19, 2018). "Katie Ledecky wins top academic honor among all Division I athletes". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Katie Ledecky.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Katie Ledecky.
Records
Preceded by Women's 1500-meter freestyle
world record-holder (long course)
July 30, 2013 – present 		Succeeded by

Incumbent
Preceded by Women's 800-meter freestyle
world record-holder (long course)
August 3, 2013 – present 		Succeeded by

Incumbent
Preceded by Women's 400-meter freestyle
world record-holder (long course)
August 9, 2014 – present 		Succeeded by

Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by
Missy Franklin
Sarah Sjöström
 Swimming World
World Swimmer of the Year
2013–2016
2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Missy Franklin
 FINA Swimmer of the Year
2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Missy Franklin
 Swimming World
American Swimmer of the Year
2013–2018 		Succeeded by
Regan Smith
Preceded by
Allyson Felix
Simone Biles
 USOC Sportswoman of the Year
2012–13
2016 – 2017 		Succeeded by
Simone Biles
Incumbent
Preceded by L'Équipe Champion of Champions
2014
2017 		Succeeded by
Serena Williams
Simone Biles
Preceded by Associated Press Athlete of the Year
2017 		Succeeded by
Serena Williams
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katie_Ledecky&oldid=1035680593"