Paris Olympics: In and Out of Pool, Katie Ledecky Brought Power and Grace to Latest Games
At both the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Katie Ledecky faced the media at a press conference and let her emotions pour out. She spoke of the sport’s meaning in her life, and expressed appreciation for those who played a critical role in her ascension to future Hall of Famer. Tears flowed. Her voice cracked.
Typically stoic and businesslike in her approach to the sport, Ledecky’s openness at the end of a quadrennial serves as an important reminder. She is beautifully human. Vulnerable. Not a machine, despite the power with which she moves through the water. And the mental and physical toll of Olympic preparation is something only a miniscule percentage of athletes can truly understand.
At the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, the Ledecky scene played out again. This time, it followed Day One of competition at La Defense Arena. But the crux of the press conference was the same.
“Yeah, I love this sport so much,” she said. “I get emotional about it. I love those people (teammates and coaches), and that’s what carries me through, keeps me going.”
Ledecky kept her Olympic momentum rolling at the Paris Games. The upstart who first represented Team USA at the 2012 Olympics is now a four-time Olympian, more medals collected than any other female swimmer.
Another chapter written.
SHINING IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS
Katie Ledecky is familiar with the attention that accompanies global championships and is magnified at the Olympic Games. A four-event program guaranteed significant attention over the nine-day meet in Paris, and the 400-meter freestyle wasted no time thrusting the American into the spotlight.
The event was held on the first day of the meet and featured a clash between the last three world-record holders – Ledecky, Australian Ariarne Titmus and Canadian Summer McIntosh. The showdown was dubbed The Race of the Century II, nicknamed as the successor to the 2004 Race of the Century, when Ian Thorpe, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps battled in the 200 freestyle at the Athens Games.
Retaining her title, Titmus recorded a wire-to-wire triumph over McIntosh, who occupied the silver-medal position throughout the race. A bronze medal for Ledecky gave her a complete set of medals from the event, complementing her gold from the 2016 Olympics and a silver from the 2020 Games.
“It’s awesome for the sport and awesome for women’s swimming,” Ledecky said of the event’s drama. “It’s a testament to Ariarne and Summer and the performances they’ve had over the last few years. And I’d like to think that I contributed a little bit to the buildup around that race.”
The 400 freestyle is no longer Ledecky’s domain, but she continues to dominate in the longer freestyle events. Sandwiching a United States silver medal in the 800 freestyle relay, in which she handled the third leg, Ledecky added additional Olympic gold in the 1500 freestyle and 800 freestyle. The 30-lap discipline was a rout, with Ledecky repeating and setting an Olympic record of 15:30.02 and prevailing by more than 10 seconds. The effort handed Ledecky the 20-fastest performances of all-time.
The 800 freestyle required a bit more work, but Ledecky eventually broke free of Titmus and got to the wall in 8:11.04, more than a second clear of her rival. By winning the 800 freestyle, Ledecky joined Michael Phelps as the only other swimmer to claim gold in the same event at four consecutive Games. Ledecky won her first title in the event as a 15-year-old in 2012. Phelps achieved the feat in the 200 individual medley from 2004-2016.
“Coming into the 800, I just felt a lot of pressure from myself, just from my history (in the event),” Ledecky said. “And I knew going into it that it was going to be a really tough race and that everyone in the field was going to throw everything they had at me.”
The gold medal in the 800 freestyle was the ninth of Ledecky’s stellar career, moving her into a six-way tie for second in Olympic history. While Phelps leads with 23 gold medals, Ledecky is tied for the No. 2 spot with fellow sporting legends Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Caeleb Dressel, Larisa Latynina and Paavo Nurmi.
The four-peat also raised Ledecky’s career-medal count to 14, making her the most-decorated female swimmer in Olympic history, that honor shared with Australian Emma McKeon. In addition to her nine gold medals, Ledecky owns four silver medals and a bronze medal.
The greatness is not lost on Ledecky’s competitors.
“She’s just a champ,” Titmus said of Ledecky. “I have the most respect for her of any athlete I’ve ever competed against. I know how hard it is to go back-to-back and (for her) to be on top of the world in the same event for over 12 years is just remarkable. I feel so honored to be part of her story and hopefully it’s made me a better athlete as well.”
A CLASS ACT
If Ledecky never wins another Olympic medal, her legacy is firmly established. She is the greatest female swimmer in history. Plain and simple. Yet, what further elevates Ledecky’s status as a sporting icon is how she carries herself. She’s the first to praise her foes. She heaps recognition on her teammates. She repeatedly acknowledges her coaches, family and friends. It’s all from the heart. Pure.
On the final day of swimming action, Ledecky watched the final of the men’s 1500 freestyle from the stands. From the starting beep, American Bobby Finke – a training partner of Ledecky – attacked the race and was under world-record pace. With each stroke, Ledecky enthusiastically cheered her friend. When Finke ultimately broke the world record, no one in the building was more thrilled than Ledecky.
There’s a reason she was selected as a Team USA captain for Paris. There’s a reason she was chosen as a United States flag bearer – along with rower Nick Mead – for the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Games. It’s called respect.
Heck, when Ledecky surged up the all-time medals lists in the French capital, speaking about herself was not the approach. Rather, she took a moment to cast praise elsewhere.
“I try not to think about history very much,” she said. “I know those names, those people that I’m up there with. They’re swimmers that I looked up to when I first started swimming. It’s an honor to be named among them. I’m grateful to them for inspiring me and so many great swimmers over the years in the U.S. that have helped me get to this moment.”
AHEAD TO LOS ANGELES
In the days after a Games concludes, most athletes beam over their upcoming break from the physical and mental demands of training. It is an opportunity to recharge and prepare for the future. For some, that might be life’s next chapter, as retirement calls. For others, detachment from that familiar black line on the bottom of the pool is a welcome split, if only to ensure the reunion will be free of resentment.
Ledecky does not operate in this sense. She has always enjoyed the demands of training, gaining satisfaction from completing countless laps and grinding sets. The pool is an escape for the 27-year-old, and her unique relationship with the sport – one that is organic and cannot be faked – offers further insight into her longevity and greatness.
So, it isn’t a shock that Ledecky plans to swim on – races inside SoFi Stadium at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles part of her long-term plan. She’ll be 31 when the Summer Olympics return to the United States for the first time since 1996, more than twice as old as when she made her Games debut. If she earns the chance to compete in L.A. and defend her crowns in the 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle, it will require the same dedication Ledecky has exhibited for more than a decade.
And that is just fine.
“I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in the sport yet,” Ledecky said in Paris. “I’d love to continue on and just seeing the kind of support that the French athletes are getting here, I think all the U.S. athletes are thinking about how cool that could be in Los Angeles having the home crowd. So that would be amazing to be able to compete there.”
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I would also like to add that Katie & Ariarne also showed the world what a true rivalry in sports is all about.
its not that interview that Cate Cambell did nor is it that constant stirring the pot that Rowdy & Michael Phelps kept shoving down the viewers throats!!!
It is mutual respect for tremendous athletic achievement!! And that is a lesson we can all learn from these two amazing champions.