Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky
Ledecky at the Golden Goggle Awards in 2023
Personal information
Full nameKathleen Genevieve Ledecky
National teamUnited States
Born (1997-03-17) March 17, 1997 (age 27)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationStanford University (BA)
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[4][5]
Weight160 lb (73 kg)[5]
RelativeJon Ledecky[3] (uncle)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle[1]
ClubNation's Capital Swim Club (NCAP)
University of Florida
College teamStanford University[2]
CoachYuri Suguiyama
Bruce Gemmell
Greg Meehan
Anthony Nesty
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 9 4 1
World Championships (LC) 21 5 0
Pan Pacific Championships (LC) 8 1 1
Total 38 10 2
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
200 m freestyle 3 1 1
400 m freestyle 7 3 1
800 m freestyle 12 0 0
1500 m freestyle 9 0 0
4x100 m freestyle 1 1 0
4x200 m freestyle 6 5 0
Total 38 10 2
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
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 1500 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 400 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris 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
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2023 Fukuoka 800 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2023 Fukuoka 1500 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
Silver medal – second place 2023 Fukuoka 400 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2023 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships (LC)
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/ lə-DEK-ee; born March 17, 1997)[6] is an American competitive swimmer. She has won nine Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. With 14 medals and 9 gold medals, she is also the most decorated American woman, most decorated female swimmer, the woman with the most gold medals (tied with Larisa Latynina) and fifth-most decorated athlete in Olympic history. She has won a record 16 individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships.[7] Ledecky's 10 individual medals at the Olympics and 26 overall medals at the World Aquatics Championships are records in women's swimming‌. 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 also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. She is widely regarded as the greatest female swimmer of all time and one of the greatest Olympians of all time.[8][9][10]

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. At the 2020 Olympic Games, Ledecky emerged as the most decorated U.S. female athlete and became the first American female swimmer to win an individual event in three straight Olympiads.[11] In 2023, she won gold in the 800 meter World Championship, becoming the first swimmer—male or female—to win six World Championship gold medals in the same event.[12] In total, she has won 50 medals (38 golds, 10 silvers, and 2 bronzes) in major international competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships. During her career, she has broken sixteen world records.

Ledecky's success has earned her Swimming World's Female World Swimmer of the Year a record five times. Ledecky was also named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2017 and 2022, 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, Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2017, and the ESPY Best Female Athlete in 2022.[13] In 2024, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.[14][15]

  1. ^ Sandys, Toni L. (July 21, 2021). "How Katie Ledecky swims faster than the rest of the world". Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Crouse, Karen (March 26, 2018). "Katie Ledecky Turns Pro After Dominating College Swimming". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference uncle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "LEDECKY Katie". Rio2016.com. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Katie Ledecky". TeamUSA.org. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "LEDECKY Katie". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Sterling, Wayne (July 29, 2023). "Katie Ledecky overtakes Michael Phelps for most individual world titles". CNN. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "Greatest swimmer of all time: a ranked list of the best swimmers ever". SportsBrief. January 18, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "How Katie Ledecky Became the Greatest Distance Swimmer of All Time". MySwimPro. July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Brennan, Christine (July 29, 2023). "Shattering Michael Phelps' Record, Katie Ledecky Shows Why She's The Greatest". USA Today. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Lohn, John (July 31, 2022). "Ledecky Johns Elite Company With Third Straight Title in 800 Freestlye". Swimming World. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Wade, Stephen (July 29, 2023). "Katie Ledecky passes Michael Phelps for most individual golds at world championships". ABC News.
  13. ^ Roxanna Scott, "Katie Ledecky wins Female Athlete of the Olympic Games", USA Today (September 29, 2016). Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  14. ^ Schad, Tom (May 3, 2024). "Katie Ledecky, Jim Thorpe among 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients by Joe Biden". USA Today.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).