Katie Ledecky Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom; Will Continue Swimming Through 2028
While Katie Ledecky has achieved the highest level of competition possible in the pool as an Olympic champion – several times – she also has received the highest honor an athlete can receive outside the pool. On the same day it came to light Ledecky will train through the 2028 Olympics, Ledecky was listed as one of the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., President Joe Biden’s office announced on Friday.
Ledecky is one of two athletes on the list, along with former Olympic champion and professional football and baseball player Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest all-around athletes in history and a pioneer for American Indians.
The recipients “are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields,” the White House said in the statement. “They consistently demonstrated over their careers the power of community, hard work, and service,” it added.
Others on the list include Michelle Yeoh, the first Oscar winner of Asian descent, former vice president Al Gore, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, representative James Clyburn and senator Elizabeth Dole.
Meanwhile, Katie Ledecky isn’t done.
In an interview with NBC about her upcoming memoir, she reaffirmed she is planning on swimming through 2028.
“The [2028] Olympics being in LA is very appealing. Not very many athletes get an opportunity to compete in a home Games,” Katie Ledecky said. “I definitely at this point am planning on going through 2028… whether I compete in one event, multiple events, a relay, whatever.”