October 17 Declared Katie Ledecky Day by Montgomery County, Maryland
October 17 was recognized as Katie Ledecky Day by her home of Montgomery County, Maryland.
The native of Bethesda made a stop home on her post-Olympics tour, meeting with students from her alma mater, Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.
County executive Marc Elrich presided over the event, which included a citation from Maryland’s General Assembly, presented by Delegates Teresa Woorman and Sarah Wolek of District 16. A street near the school’s campus has been renamed “Katie Ledecky Lane,” with new signage unveiled for the occasion.
“It’s pretty neat to have a street named after me,” Ledecky told reporters. “Hopefully, anyone that drives by it will think of the work that I’ve put in and how much I love swimming … and hopefully, that can brighten their day when they drive by it and inspire them to reach for their goals.”
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On the swimming front, Ledecky said she’s back in training with an eye toward the 2028 Olympics and will return next week to her training base of Gainesville, Florida.
Ledecky has the most Olympic gold medals for a female athlete (nine, tied with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina), the most Olympic golds by a female swimmer (nine), the most total Olympic medals for an American woman (14) and for a female swimmer (14, tied with Emma McKeon of Australia).
At the Paris Olympics in 2024, Ledecky won the 800 freestyle for the fourth consecutive Olympics. She added gold in the 1,500 free for the second straight Games, silver in the 800 free relay and bronze in the 400 freestyle.
The Bethesda native has always remained close to her roots. It helps that her alma mater also produced American Olympians Erin Gemmell and Phoebe Bacon, but Ledecky often falls back on lessons and experiences from her youth, even four Olympics, 14 medals and 21 World Championships later.
“I got so much out of this place – from Stone Ridge, from Little Flower, from MCSL (Montgomery County Swim League) swimming, from club swimming,” she said.
“We have been blessed by a journey with Katie that has allowed us to participate in and bear witness to her growth as an athlete, a leader, a deeply caring member of the community and a representative of both our local community and our nation,” Stone Ridge Head of School Catherine Ronan Karrels said.