[38], At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Ledecky won five gold medals and broke two world records. No detail is too small. Thats why Bruce Gemmell quips that Ledecky would be content to race in a cardboard box. [122] Ledecky's time of 3:57.36 was the second-fastest time of her career and fourth-fastest in history. There are technical explanations: her aerobic system using oxygen with extraordinary efficiency, while her anaerobic system generates explosive bursts of energy. Ledecky was a USA Olympic team member in 2012, 2016, and 2020, and holds the female record for most individual gold medals (14) and overall gold medals (19) at the World Aquatics Championships. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) At . At the 2013 US National Championships, Ledecky qualified to swim in four individual events and the 4200-meter freestyle relay at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, though she later dropped the 200-meter freestyle from her program. [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. [120][121] However, she finished second to Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus to win the silver medal, trailing Titmus by half a second after leading at the 300m mark. At 6 feet, the second-time Olympian is not extraordinarily tall compared with her peers. Eighteen years later, Katie Ledecky is the worlds most dominant freestyle swimmer. Barbini noticed the mix of intensity and care thats as much a part of Ledecky as the blazing times.
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.
Katie Ledecky 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.[56]. Trust me, Gemmell said. Is she tall for the average person? 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.
Swimmer Katie Ledecky inspired to 'put a smile on someone's face' as Other than standing 6 feet tall, a couple of inches above the average height for female swimming finalists at the Rio Games, she could blend into a crowd outside of the pool. 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. 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. Michael Phelps, the 28-time Olympic medalist, called Ledecky the greatest female swimmer of our time.. 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. She took silver in her first race of the Games, and then missed out on medaling in the 200 . On the fifth day of competition, Ledecky, with Leah Smith, Mallory Comerford, and Melanie Margalis won gold in the 4200-meter freestyle relay. Her six individual gold medals are the most of any female Olympic swimmer and female US Olympian, and the second-most of all Olympic swimmers behind Michael Phelps. In keeping with Ledeckys low-key personality, the goals stayed between them. [126] She swam a 1:55.34 in the semifinals of the 200 meter freestyle and advanced to the final ranking third overall. [66], 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.[67]. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 19 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. Katie Ledecky reacts after winning her heat in the Womens 200 Freestyle during the second wave of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on June 15 in Omaha, Neb. With her pair of swims in the 800-meter freestyle, Ledecky took control of the top 11 fastest times in the event's history. [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. They realized the goals, lofty as they might seem for a teenager, were too pedestrian. And not even appearing winded? Or perhaps the answer is more basic. Its just her commitment and desire for getting better.. Shes also remained remarkably healthy, aside from occasional illnesses, in a sport in which unrelenting training exacts a toll on the body. When she started working with Gemmell in 2012, she could not . Were content to enjoy the gift. The five-time Olympic gold medalist owns world records in the 400-, 800-, and 1,500-meter freestyles. At the National Championships, she finished first in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle, and second in the 200-meter freestyle. 'In 2016 she was 16. Ledecky won freestyle golds as a 16-year-old in the 2013 World Championships in the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and the 4x200m, following her first place in the 800m in London 2012. While Michael Phelps and his fighter-jet wingspan already have passed history by with a record 22 medals . But the time was almost five seconds off Ledeckys world record set in Rio. Dinner. This was Ledecky's first international loss in a final in individual event. Fifty-two percent of SwimSwam.com readers voted Ledecky the top swimmer of the decade, ahead of Michael Phelps. You just watch the force that she pulls with and its way, way different., Laguna Beachs Nyjah Huston brings a fierce commitment to training to a rebellious sport, making the skateboarder a star to watch in the Tokyo Olympics. 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). Swimming the third leg, Ledecky passed Australia and Canada to take the lead with the third-fastest split in history (1:53.67). [15] She was raised Catholic. Ledecky is a 10-time Olympic medalist with seven golds. Im willing to bet she has a V02 max thats better than anybody else on the face of the earth, Robinson said, referring to the maximum amount of oxygen a person uses while exercising. For lengthy races like the 1,500 meters, this must remain constant for more than 15 minutes. 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). Ledecky opened the Trials with a win and meet record in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.98). Ledecky concluded the championships with another gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle, winning by a margin of 21.11-seconds (15:38.97). Her time of 7:57.42 surpassed Mireia Belmonte's mark from 2013.[142]. On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle.[80]. [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 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). 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]. Theres a decades worth of underwater video too. 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. [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. Ledecky accepted an athletic scholarship to Stanford University, where she swam for coach Greg Meehan's Stanford Cardinal women's swimming team. If any single item is responsible for her transformation, the grueling sessions away from television cameras and autograph-seeking fans might be it. Coaches, teammates and competitors point to her powerful stroke, legendary training sessions, unusual blend of speed and endurance, and tenacity that is otherworldly. 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. [130] Ledecky won her second gold medal of the Olympics and her seventh of all time in the 800-meter freestyle. [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. She has recognition of these things in the middle of a race and can make an adjustment. The 400? [11][12][13][14] Ledecky's mother is of Irish descent. [123] This was Ledecky's first loss in an individual event at the Olympics. Having already set 11 world records, she is a favorite to win at the Rio Olympics in the women's 200-, 400- and.
Katie Ledecky Wins Her 1st Gold In Tokyo, Reflects On The - NPR She is widely regarded as one of the greatest Olympians and the greatest female swimmer of all time.[5][6]. Katie Ledecky has no obvious physiological advantages as a swimmer. 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.[70]. 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. Thats key to her success. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, convincing victory during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, U.S. swimming trials bring some clarity for athletes after a year of uncertainty, Skateboard phenom Nyjah Huston, a rising Olympic star, blends in on SoCal streets, Elliott: Allyson Felixs desire to win gold on the Olympic stage continues to shine bright, Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold in giant slalom for seventh world title, Bass chief of staff says hell avoid Olympics issues for a year.