[87] Ledecky withdrew from the 800-meter freestyle race due to illness. Some of the boys said, Jon, get her out of our lanes. Ledecky trailed Quadarella into the final wall. She won a fourth gold in her final individual event, the 800-meter freestyle. Ledecky won easily in 4 minutes 1.27 seconds, the 43rd-fastest swim ever by a woman. 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. She is Unmarried. Sometimes that happens. The history-making has become so common, so many would-be competitors left so far behind, that expectations, just like the pictures, are larger than life. Ve svtovm baznu d nctilet kometa s eskmi koeny", "New York City City Marriage Licenses Index, 1950-1995", "The code to Katie Ledecky's goals in Rio", "Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky says her Catholic faith helps her 'put things in perspective', U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Katie Ledecky, 15, earns surprising berth, Katie Ledecky finishes high school career with Olympics, more world records in sight, Katie Ledecky commits to Stanford swimming, "Photo ReleaseHuntington Ingalls Industries Celebrates Ceremonial Steel-Cut for Aircraft Carrier Enterprise (CVN 80) at Newport News Shipbuilding", "Katie Ledecky couldn't pursue Olympic medals in 2020. One key is obsessive attention to detail. And perhaps thats the greatest mystery of all. 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. Twelve of the top 14 times. At just 19 years old, Katie Ledecky is the most dominant swimmer in the world. Ledecky returned to competition three days later to swim the final of the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. She broke the existing mark by five seconds. Sports, however, bring a desire for answers, for numbers, for specifics, especially for someone whose accomplishments almost have become disorienting. Thats why Bruce Gemmell quips that Ledecky would be content to race in a cardboard box. She doesnt have Phelps attention-grabbing build that included an 80-inch wingspan and size-14 feet that seemed to double as flippers. She qualified in the heats with an Olympic record, 8:12.86, and set a world record in the finals of 8:04.79, over 11 seconds faster than the silver medalist, Jazmin Carlin. In the evening session, Ledecky faced a tough double with the 1500-meter freestyle final and the semi-finals of the 200-meter freestyle shortly after. In the final, Ledecky swam to an early lead before Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella took over midway through the race. At the 750-meter mark, Ledecky was 3.42 seconds ahead of Mireia Belmonte Garca, and 0.31 seconds under world record pace. Ledecky provided the US with an early lead, swimming the first leg in a personal best of 1:56.32. Take the 400 freestyle final at the trials. Shes not doing some special strength program that nobody else knows about. On the fifth day of competition, Ledecky, with Missy Franklin, Leah Smith, and Katie McLaughlin won gold in the 4200-meter freestyle relay. However, elite swimmers focus on how to generate propulsion more efficiently.. During a stint at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., in early 2016, Conor Dwyer, a two-time Olympian, engaged in a friendly contest with Ledecky jumping onto flat surfaces at increasing heights. But Ledecky doesnt just beat records, she transforms them. On the meet's first day, she recorded the team's fastest split to lower the 800-yard freestyle relay record to 6:45.91 with Manuel, Neal, and Eastin. A lot of people have the tendency to want to protect themselves in their training, Sweetser said. [115][116] The following day in the final, Ledecky won with a time of 8:14.62 and qualified to swim the 800 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the United States.[117][118]. [138], Ledecky joined Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith, and Bella Sims on the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay on day five. The 1,500? Hideki Takagi, a professor at the University of Tsukuba in Japan focused on the hydrodynamics and biomechanics of swimming, underlined the importance of this trait. At year's end, Ledecky was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine. I really havent had too many of those over the past couple months, so thats a good thing.. Still recovering from illness, Ledecky qualified second the next day for the final of the 800-meter freestyle. When she started working with Gemmell in 2012, she could not . Somehow she makes this look easy. 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]. Do not let it pass over you., Subscribers get early access to this story. Dinner. In the end, Ledecky was able to hold off a fast charging Pellegrini, eventually winning by a 0.16 margin. At the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Ledecky led all swimmers with three individual titles, winning golds in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle. [48], In her only event on the fourth day of competition, the 200-meter freestyle, Ledecky won her third gold medal of the meet, winning in a time of 1:55.16. During her career, she has broken sixteen world records. [101][102][103], In the morning of day three, Ledecky swam a 1:57.58 in the 200 meter freestyle prelims, ranking second fastest of all heats. Shes doing what everybody else does. [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's swim was the seventh-fastest performance in history. Twice each week, she trained against long-distance swimmers Liam Egan and True Sweetser. The swimmer wowed the world in 2012 when she competed in her first Olympics at just 15 and won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle competition. The next morning, Ledecky struggled through her preliminary heat of the 1500-meter freestyle despite qualifying first for the event's final. On the third day of the meet, Ledecky set her fourth meet record in the 400-meter freestyle prelim heats with a time of 4:03.09. She has no long torso, no wide. The time that would be a career-making moment for almost any other swimmer surprised her. 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. [61] On the meet's third day, she won the 400-yard individual medley in a new American record of 3:57.68 before finishing second to teammate Simone Manuel in the 200-yard freestyle with a personal best time less than a half hour later. Katie Ledecky isn't just an Olympian; she's one of the most gifted athletes in the world. Born in Maryland in 1997, Katie Ledecky began swimming competitively at age six. Mary Gen Ledecky, who swam in college, encouraged her daughter to write down goals. 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. Some days she left him absolutely demolished and approached record paces in the middle of exhausting workouts. Some of these things that might have come naturally and unconsciously when she was 16, now its conscious, Mark said. The process trumped everything. Its a remarkable combination, particularly for someone to be that dominant for so long, which takes so much commitment, while at the same time being so nice and polite and kind., Matt Barbini, USA Swimmings national team performance director. 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]. Shes not doing it for the adulation, shes not doing it for the title of the worlds greatest swimmer, the coach said. Four years later, she was a record holder and medal. What transformed that girl who couldnt make it across the pool? Ledecky was the defending Olympic champion and world-record holder. The usual gap for a world record is as thin as an Olympic medal. Because of her analytical approach to training, she knows almost exactly how the race is going to go, Sweetser said. She wasnt a great puller. She also swam in the 100-meter freestyle heats. Ledecky finished her high-school career as the holder of the Stone Ridge school record in every swimming event except the 100-meter breaststroke. Swimming the anchor leg, Ledecky recorded a split of 1:54.02, and the Americans finished with an aggregate time of 7:43.39. They swam identical workouts. [33] Anchor Missy Franklin overtook Australian Alicia Coutts in the last 200 meters, giving the US the gold. The same all-out approach Ledecky brought to the final 25 meters of the 200 freestyle at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics she edged Swedens Sarah Sjostrom by .35 seconds for gold despite feeling queasy happens regularly in practice with nothing at stake other than numbers on a clock. 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). In the middle of a difficult practice, Sweetser noticed Ledecky staring at him. 3x U.S. Olympic Swimmer (2012, 2016, 2021) 7x Olympic Gold Medalist 19x World Champion Stanford grad #TeamTYR - Katie@teamwass.com. [62] On the meet's final day, Ledecky joined Manuel, Neal, and Janet Hu to break the NCAA and American record in the 400-yard freestyle relay. [30] In addition, she broke Janet Evans' American record of 8:16.22 that had stood since 1989. Katie Ledecky's height is 6 feet tall and her body weight is 73 kilograms. Figure Skating championships. In the 1500-meter freestyle, Ledecky broke her own world record in a time of 15:25.48. [57] Ledecky's final medal total (four golds, one silver) is the most decorated single-Olympics performance by a U.S. female athlete in terms of gold medals, topping Missy Franklin (2012; four golds, 1 bronze), Simone Biles (2016; four golds, 1 bronze), and Amy Van Dyken (1996; four golds). Yes. [52], Ledecky's first event in the 2016 Summer Olympics was the 4100-meter freestyle relay, swimming the anchor leg for the United States in both the prelims and final. Coming Sunday: Home subscribers will receive the Los Angeles Times 24-page Olympic preview section, your guide to the upcoming Games. Shes not doing some special strength program that nobody else knows about. 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. [23], At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska (her first senior national competition), Ledecky made the Olympic team by placing first in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:19.78, which was over two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kate Ziegler. Ledecky competes against herself (1:59) U.S. Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky talks to Hannah Storm about how she got started swimming, how she set goals for herself when she was young and how the . Fifty-two percent of SwimSwam.com readers voted Ledecky the top swimmer of the decade, ahead of Michael Phelps. After earning a berth on the U.S. Olympic team at age 15, she set an American record in the 800-meter freestyle to. But within an hour of each other? In the debut of the women's 1500 meter freestyle at the Summer Olympics, Ledecky set an Olympic record in her heat with a time of 15:35.35 and advanced to the final ranked first overall. A seven-time Olympic gold medalist and record-breaking swimmer, 24-year-old Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes from the Tokyo games. At the 2014 US National Championships, the qualifying meet for both the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, Ledecky finished first in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle. Shes always trying to maximize her performance so theres nothing left in the tank. During their next training session, he recalled, she said, Weve got to get our 40. She did. Thats not new. Katie wants to win by the most massive margin possible, but I dont think she wants to break anyones soul like Michael Jordan did. Theres a lot of noise, said Janet Evans, the four-time Olympic gold medalist who is considered one of the greatest distance swimmers in history and now works as the chief athlete officer for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee. Ledecky's split was the fastest of all swimmers in the relay finals. 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]. She doesnt have an unusually long torso or long arms or large hands. Some said it would never happen. [42] Ledecky lapped three competitors in the final and finished 27.33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Boyle. [47] Twenty-nine minutes later, Ledecky qualified 6th in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:56.76. Even elite womens swimmers at the Olympics arent able to pull off that kind of stroke.. 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. Her combined 20 individual titles at the Olympics (6) and World Aquatics Championships (14) is also a record for female swimmers. 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. Shes not afraid to fail. She won 10 Olympic medals, 7 of which were gold. Katie Ledecky, byname of Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky, (born March 17, 1997, Washington, D.C., U.S.), American swimmer who was one of the sport's dominant freestylers in the early 21st century, breaking numerous records. In the 400-yard individual medley, Ledecky broke Katinka Hossz's all-time record by one-hundredth of a second, finishing in 3:56.53. Ledecky breaking an arm in fourth grade, but jumping back into the pool with a cast. Trust me, Gemmell said. She has an uncanny ability to remain herself, not flinch in the face of scrutiny and focus on the task at hand. She set the record in the event nine months later in 8:13.36. Ledecky passed Quadarella and pulled away in the final 50 meters to win by 1.41 seconds. [130] Ledecky won her second gold medal of the Olympics and her seventh of all time in the 800-meter freestyle. Shes kind of a freak athlete, said Lee Sommers, an athletic trainer in Bethesda, Md., who helped prepare Ledecky for Rio. David Marsh, an assistant on the team who served as the womens coach in 2016, recalled coaches gathering when Ledecky swam. The victories, the records, the head-shaking performances in which her only competition is the clock, are so frequent that they seem as routine as her unassuming comments after each race with history. On the final day of competition, she reset her world record in the 800-meter freestyle, clocking a time of 8:06.68. [20], In December 2020, she completed the required courses for a bachelor of arts in psychology and minor in political science from Stanford University, [21][22] and graduated in June 2021. In Bethesda, she attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. They cant quantify this, but believe she hangs onto more water than other swimmers. She won gold in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyles in Tokyo, as well as silver medals in the 400-meter and 4x200-meter freestyle events. At the academic year's conclusion, the College Sports Information Directors of America named Ledecky the Division I Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for her athletic and academic achievements. I dont think she had a clue how fast she was going. [140], On October 28, during the Toronto round of the FINA Swimming World Cup, Ledecky swam the 1500m short course event for the first time. Katie Ledecky has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). And Katie's got tiny feet, too. In the final, Ledecky went out hard and, by the 200-meter mark, she had already established an almost body-length lead. She has an elder brother. May 4, 2020, 8:23 p.m. Five days after she turned 23, Katie Ledecky '20 . If I have a bad practice, I dont let it get to me, Ledecky said. They were called watch times.. [134], At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Ledecky won all four of her events: the 400 meter freestyle, 1500 meter freestyle, 4x200 freestyle relay, and 800-meter freestyle. And theyre ultimately suggestions straining to answer a larger question. Maybe the explanation is unknowable. Then theres the sheer efficiency of how her body works. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. In between London and Rio, Ledecky quietly became the world's most dominant swimmer no longer just a distance specialist. Follow. She is the daughter of David Ledecky and Mary Gen Ledecky. They realized the goals, lofty as they might seem for a teenager, were too pedestrian. [86], Ledecky began 2020 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, where she won the 200-, 400- and 1500-meter freestyle races. Barbini noticed the mix of intensity and care thats as much a part of Ledecky as the blazing times. In keeping with Ledeckys low-key personality, the goals stayed between them. In the final, she joined Simone Manuel, Abbey Weitzeil, and Dana Vollmer and recorded a split of 52.79, helping the team earn a silver medal (behind Australia) with a time of 3:31.89, a new national record for the United States. [90], On Thursday May 20, 2021, at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite Ledecky won the long course 100 meter freestyle final by one one-hundredth of a second in a time of 53.82 with second place going to Simone Manuel.