[94][95] The 400 meter freestyle was the first race on Ledecky's schedule where she had the opportunity to make the 2020 USA Olympic Team. 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. Ledecky began the World Championships by winning gold in the 400-meter freestyle in a time of 3:59.13, a new championship record and almost four seconds ahead of her closest competitor. At the Ohio State Invitational in November 2016, Ledecky lowered her American and U.S. Open marks in the women's 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle.[60]. Ledecky returned to competition three days later to swim the final of the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. All of this feeds Ledeckys ability to do things in the pool that arent normal. The team lowered its previous record with a time of 3:07.61, securing a 526.5366 decision over runner-up California-Berkeley, the largest championship margin of victory since 2003. Twice each week, she trained against long-distance swimmers Liam Egan and True Sweetser. Swimming the third leg, Ledecky passed Australia and Canada to take the lead with the third-fastest split in history (1:53.67). At the 2020 Olympic Games, Ledecky also emerged as the most decorated U.S. female athlete and became the first American female swimmer to win an individual event in three straight Olympiads. [44] Ledecky was also named the female swimmer of the meet. She had a smile that seemed bigger than her diminutive frame, swim cap pulled over her ears and enthusiastic post-race analyses captured on home movies. [68] Later that evening, Ledecky swam the third leg of the 4100-meter freestyle. Ledecky provided the US with an early lead, swimming the first leg in a personal best of 1:56.32. Shes able to really lean into each arm, Sweetser said. Shes not doing some special strength program that nobody else knows about. Are you willing to push yourself beyond all comprehension or are you not? Nagle said. [42] Ledecky lapped three competitors in the final and finished 27.33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Boyle. [112][113][114], Friday June 18, 2021, the sixth day of competition, Ledecky won with a time of 8:16.61 in the prelims heats of the 800-meter freestyle and advanced to the final. At the 750-meter mark, Ledecky was 3.42 seconds ahead of Mireia Belmonte Garca, and 0.31 seconds under world record pace. On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle.[80]. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest Olympians and the greatest female swimmer of all time.[5][6]. I think I do a pretty good job of sticking to those and not seeing what kinds of medal counts or times that people are throwing out about what I could accomplish if everything goes perfectly.. She doesnt have an unusually long torso or long arms or large hands. But Ledecky doesnt just beat records, she transforms them. 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]. Ledecky accepted an athletic scholarship to Stanford University, where she swam for coach Greg Meehan's Stanford Cardinal women's swimming team. Her wins came in the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyles and the 4200-meter freestyle. 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. [55], Ledecky claimed her third gold in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, with Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Maya DiRado. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The goals were adjusted to pursue times that felt a little scary, a little unreasonable, more than a little exciting: 3:56 in the 400 freestyle and 8:05 in the 800 freestyle. At year's end, Ledecky was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine. Twelve of the top 14 times. [91], As part of the NBC evening telecast for day one of the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials (postponed to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Ledecky was featured in an interview discussing Stanford University's commencement, finishing her college degree, and training for the Olympic Trials. [30] In addition, she broke Janet Evans' American record of 8:16.22 that had stood since 1989. Shes not doing some special strength program that nobody else knows about. For lengthy races like the 1,500 meters, this must remain constant for more than 15 minutes. She wasnt a great kicker. How fast would Torri Huske, the 18-year-old phenom headed to Stanford this fall, swim in the 100 butterfly final? 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. They swam identical workouts. 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. Katie just dives in headfirst and really forces you to get the most out of practice. [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. In her first event, the 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky successfully defended her world title, finishing with a championship record time of 3:58.34. Barbini noticed the mix of intensity and care thats as much a part of Ledecky as the blazing times. We want to know what transformed that girl who couldnt make it across the pool? Katie Ledecky competes in the women's 1500-meter freestyle during the U.S. Olympic swim trials on June 16 in Omaha, Neb. Andrew Gemmell, the coachs son who competed at the London Olympics in the 1,500 freestyle, trained with Ledecky in the two years leading up to Rio. [96] In the evening final of the 400 meter freestyle, Ledecky finished first with a time of 4:01.27, securing her first spot on her third US Olympic Team swimming the 400 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Four years later, she left Rio de Janeiro as the most decorated female athlete of the 2016 Olympic Games, with four gold medals, one silver medal, and two world records. 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. And not even appearing winded? Katie Ledecky has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). Most of the time she didnt. 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. [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. What transformed that girl who couldnt make it across the pool? 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. Ledeckys world records in the 800 freestyle and 1,500 freestyle are 1.95% faster than the second-best women. In the 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky set her third world record of the year by breaking Federica Pellegrini's 2009 world record of 3:59.15 with a time of 3:58.86. [74] She signed with Wasserman sports agent Dan Levy for representation.[75]. Ledecky began the year by breaking her own world records in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle at the 2014 Woodlands Swim Team Senior Invitational in June. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. Ledecky, who has broken the 4-minute barrier in the distance 20 times, thought she had been faster. About 18 months before the London Olympics, Suguiyama suggested that Ledecky adopt the gallop. Her 400-meter split was 4:04.34, a personal best for Ledecky in that distance, and would have placed fifth in the individual 400-meter freestyle. The 400? She wasnt great at skills or drills we would try and teach her. Ledecky trailed Quadarella into the final wall. [16] Her uncle Jon Ledecky is a businessman and a co-owner of the NHL team New York Islanders. 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 just 19 years old, Katie Ledecky is the most dominant swimmer in the world. Sometimes she faded. In Bethesda, she attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. Ledecky's swim was the seventh-fastest performance in history. Instead, Ledecky has a gift that defies measurement. While every distance swimmer grinds through thousands of monotonous yards each week, these sessions are somehow different for Ledecky. The time that would be a career-making moment for almost any other swimmer surprised her. This is something really, really special.. Thats whats allowing her to get such a good grab of the water and have such good force generation per stroke.. The time: 55.66 seconds. In the final, Ledecky swam to an early lead before Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella took over midway through the race. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. Michael Phelps, the 28-time Olympic medalist, called Ledecky the greatest female swimmer of our time.. And perhaps thats the greatest mystery of all. In the 1650-yard freestyle, Ledecky re-set her NCAA record in the 1000-yard free with a split of 9:05.89 en route to winning by more than 28 seconds. She was just doing what Jon was saying.. Thats not new. [47] Twenty-nine minutes later, Ledecky qualified 6th in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:56.76. Before she entered the pool, the United States was trailing both Australia and China, but she swam a time of 1:53.76 to finish the race 0.4 seconds behind the Chinese swimmer Li Bingjie and ahead of Australia, who were the favorites coming into the competition. He thought the she was sizing him up as another opponent to defeat. In the 1500-meter freestyle, Ledecky broke her own world record in a time of 15:25.48. 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 . Ledecky opened the Trials with a win and meet record in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.98). 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. Katie Ledecky isn't just an Olympian; she's one of the most gifted athletes in the world. But she acknowledged having the same nerves as any other competitor at the trials and, in all sincerity, said she didnt take making the Tokyo Games for granted. [53], Her first individual event was the 400-meter freestyle. "She's relatively short (at 5-foot-11) and she doesn't have an excessive wingspan." Nevertheless, Ledecky's arms are long enough to wrap around what could. 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. Because of her analytical approach to training, she knows almost exactly how the race is going to go, Sweetser said. After a year of uncertainty brought on by postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, top U.S. swimmers are ready for some familiarity at the U.S. swim trials. Shes just doing it better than everybody else., Bruce Gemmell, Katie Ledeckys coach at the Nations Capital Swim Club, Some of this immunity to pressure comes from her knack to set goals, internalize them, then turn them into reality. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) At . (RNS) Katie Ledecky has no obvious physiological advantages as a swimmer. Katie Ledecky reacts after competing in the womens 800-meter freestyle final during the U.S. Olympic trials at CHI Health Center on June 19 in Omaha, Neb. At year's end, Ledecky was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine. [33] Anchor Missy Franklin overtook Australian Alicia Coutts in the last 200 meters, giving the US the gold. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Ledecky qualified to swim in the final of the 800-meter freestyle by placing third overall in the heats with a time of 8:23.84. She doesnt have Phelps attention-grabbing build that included an 80-inch wingspan and size-14 feet that seemed to double as flippers. When Ledecky isn't training, she doesn't stray much from her . [138], Ledecky joined Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith, and Bella Sims on the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay on day five. Katie Ledecky shifts her training base to University of Florida ahead of Paris 2024. She set the record in the event nine months later in 8:13.36. [107], On day 4, June 16, she won both the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals in the evening. They cant quantify this, but believe she hangs onto more water than other swimmers. She takes a little advantage by doing all these little things a little bit better and I think that all adds up to her being so much better than everybody else, Barbini said.