The collision of hand and water is one piece of a complex, fast-paced puzzle in which the grab and breathing and body rotation and head position and kick and proper body alignment and arms cutting into the pool at the precise angle must work in concert. [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. At the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ledecky helped lead Stanford to its first team title since 1998. If I have a bad practice, I dont let it get to me, Ledecky said. The Washington athlete is also holds the 800m and 1500m freestyle world records, and owns 18 of the 20 fastest 1500m freestyle times ever. [51] At the conclusion of the week, Ledecky was named the female swimmer of the meet. 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]. General swimmers tend to think that if they can just get their arms around faster and kick their legs faster, they can swim faster. Barbini noticed the mix of intensity and care thats as much a part of Ledecky as the blazing times. It worked. To no surprise, Ledecky, who first broke the world record in the event in 2013, recorded the worlds top time in the event this year on the way to another victory. She won the first-ever women's 1500 . But everybody feels that.. 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]. 422 posts. She is Unmarried. Ledecky's success has earned her Swimming World's Female World Swimmer of the Year a record-breaking five times. With three individual titles, Ledecky became the first swimmer to win the 200, 400 and 800 m freestyle at the same Olympics since Debbie Meyer did so in 1968 in Mexico City. [135] Ledecky earned FINA's female swimmer of the meet trophy for a third time. Katie Grimes, who at 15 finished second in the 1,500-meter freestyle during the swim trials, said, "Maybe I can be just like Katie [Ledecky] one day," after her trials performance. Then theres the sheer efficiency of how her body works. In the inaugural season of the International Swimming League, Ledecky represented DC Trident. Oh, man, this is not exactly what we thought, he said. READ: Katie Ledecky wins by 21 seconds in her first race for a year Having taken a year-long break from competitions amid the pandemic, Ledecky has recently returned to racing and showed few. On July 1, Ledecky broke Janet Evans's 28-year-old national championship record in the morning preliminary heats of the 800-meter freestyle (8:10.91) before placing seventh that evening in the 100-meter freestyle (53.99). Because of her analytical approach to training, she knows almost exactly how the race is going to go, Sweetser said. [111] Ledecky won the 200 meter and 1500 meter freestyle finals in a time span of about 70 minutes as well as collecting her medal at the 200 meter freestyle medal ceremony and eating a snack. Take the 400 freestyle final at the trials. But she shows gratitude and appreciation and keeps people coming back to get their heads kicked in.. The most impressive thing for me is blocking out the noise and not feeling the pressure., Urbanchek put it bluntly: Nothing distracts her., Theres no special sauce. Gemmell warned other men in the training camp to be ready for Ledecky to beat them. Theres a decades worth of underwater video too. Her world records came in the 400- and 1500-meter freestyles, with times of 3:58.37 and 15:28.36, respectively. Allyson Felix is determined to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team for the upcoming Tokyo Games as she looks to add to her legacy in the sport. 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. [136], On the first day of competition, Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle in a championship record 3:58.15, besting Canadian silver medalist Summer McIntosh by 1.24 seconds. [85] She finished third in the Associated Press's Female Athlete of the Decade voting, behind Serena Williams and Simone Biles. [97][98][99][100] This accomplishment was highlighted by various news outlets including NBC Sports, Newsweek, and USA Today. She has an unnatural sense of what will happen in the pool call it swimming intelligence thats as impressive to witness as it is difficult to quantify. 883 following. [27] At 15 years, 4 months, and 10 days, she was the youngest American participant at the 2012 Olympic Games.[28]. [92] Because training facilities were closed during the pandemic, Ledecky and her colleague Simone Manuel trained for the Olympics in a 25-yard private pool in Atherton, in the backyard of masters swimmer Tod Spieker. Fifty-two percent of SwimSwam.com readers voted Ledecky the top swimmer of the decade, ahead of Michael Phelps. The time: 55.66 seconds. And perhaps thats the greatest mystery of all. Ledecky opened the Trials with a win and meet record in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.98). 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). 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. Her Czech-born paternal grandfather Jaromr Ledecky arrived in New York City on September 8, 1947, as a student,[10] later becoming an economist, and married an Ashkenazi Jewish woman named Berta Ruth Greenwald (Ledecky's paternal grandmother) in Brooklyn on December 30, 1956, and through her Ledecky has relatives who were killed in the Holocaust in Europe. On the first day of the meet, Ledecky anchored the 800-yard freestyle relay with a 1:40.28 split to break the NCAA, American, and U.S. Open record in the 800-yard freestyle relay with Lia Neal, Katie Drabot, and Ella Eastin. 'In 2016 she was 16. Katie wants to win by the most massive margin possible, but I dont think she wants to break anyones soul like Michael Jordan did, Barbini said. Ledecky qualified in the heats with a time of 3:58.71, an Olympic record. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Ledecky won two gold medals and two silver medals, making her the most decorated U.S. female athlete for a second straight Summer Olympics. At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Ledecky won the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyles to qualify for her second Olympic team. 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. Each month, she sends practice video to Russell Mark, a former rocket scientist who is USA Swimmings national team performance manager. 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. Ledecky trailed Quadarella into the final wall. Just over an hour later, Ledecky took third in the 200-meter freestyle (1:55.15), finishing behind Canada's Taylor Ruck (1:54.44) and Japan's Rikako Ikee (1:54.85). This is something really, really special.. The next morning, Ledecky struggled through her preliminary heat of the 1500-meter freestyle despite qualifying first for the event's final. Katie wants to win by the most massive margin possible, but I dont think she wants to break anyones soul like Michael Jordan did. But she was always bouncing up and down, really bouncy in the water and I think you can swim better than that.. We dont talk about it. We want to know what transformed that girl who couldnt make it across the pool? It cant be easy to go train against Katie when you know youre going to get your head kicked in, said Keenan Robinson, Phelps longtime strength and conditioning coach. [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. But Ledecky doesnt just beat records, she transforms them. The words were matter-of-fact, delivered without a trace of pretense. God? [77], In July 2018, at the US National Swimming Championships, Ledecky qualified for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships by finishing first in the 200-,[78] 400-, and 800-meter freestyle.[79]. Four years later, she was a record holder and medal. At the 2013 World Championships, Ledecky won gold in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle, and in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, and set two world records. Instead, Ledecky has a gift that defies measurement. [54], Ledecky won a second gold in the 200-meter freestyle with a personal best of 1:53.73, beating Sarah Sjstrm by 0.35 seconds. 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. Then the windmilling to the other side resumed. In the middle of a difficult practice, Sweetser noticed Ledecky staring at him. No detail is too small. [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. [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. [53], Her first individual event was the 400-meter freestyle. [66], Following the season, Ledecky became the first freshman in 35 years to receive the Honda Cup, which recognizes the nation's top female collegiate athlete.[67]. In her second event, Ledecky won gold in the 1500-meter freestyle in a world record time of 15:36.53, breaking the record held by compatriot Kate Ziegler by six seconds. The next day, Ledecky added her third meet record by swimming on the American 4200-meter freestyle relay team with Shannon Vreeland, Missy Franklin, and Leah Smith. [65] In the meet's final event, Ledecky joined Manuel, Neal, and Hu to swim the second leg of Stanford's 400-yard freestyle relay. One key is obsessive attention to detail. Stanford earned its second team title in as many years. Ledecky breaking an arm in fourth grade, but jumping back into the pool with a cast. The girl couldnt make it across the pool. What happened took everyone by surprise. Ledecky leaves some of the most experienced people in swimming grasping for the secret to her dominance. On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle.[80]. 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. It was two big kicks and bilateral breathing. On the fourth day of competition, Ledecky tied for silver in the 200-meter freestyle (with Emma McKeon), finishing behind Federica Pellegrini with a time of 1:55.18. At 6 feet, the second-time Olympian is not extraordinarily tall compared with her peers. Ledecky has plenty, starting with the hip turn and core that provide much of her power. [76], Ledecky signed her first sponsorship deal with TYR Sport, Inc. on June 8, 2018. Some of these things that might have come naturally and unconsciously when she was 16, now its conscious, Mark said. Follow. 'Gallop' or a 'giddy-up' Once the swimmers emerge from below the surface and. Are you willing to push yourself beyond all comprehension or are you not? Nagle said. About an hour later, she returned to the pool for the 1,500 freestyle final. Ledecky concluded the championships with another gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle, winning by a margin of 21.11-seconds (15:38.97). In the end, Ledecky was able to hold off a fast charging Pellegrini, eventually winning by a 0.16 margin. Inside the 24-year-old Katie Ledecky's decision to leave Stanford and join elite training partners and a new coach in Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida, ahead of Paris 2024. 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. [109][111] She swam a 1:55.11 in the 200 meter freestyle. 578k Followers, 883 Following, 422 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) katieledecky. Even elite womens swimmers at the Olympics arent able to pull off that kind of stroke.. In keeping with Ledeckys low-key personality, the goals stayed between them. In the final, Ledecky went out hard and, by the 200-meter mark, she had already established an almost body-length lead. In her first event in Barcelona, the 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky became a world champion for the first time by winning in 3:59.82, setting a new American record and becoming the second-fastest performer of all time in the event.[31]. Twice each week, she trained against long-distance swimmers Liam Egan and True Sweetser. On the meet's third day, Ledecky's 20th birthday, Ledecky recorded a personal-best time of 1:40.36 in the 200-yard freestyle to edge Manuel and tie Louisville sophomore Mallory Comerford for the title. May 4, 2020, 8:23 p.m. Five days after she turned 23, Katie Ledecky '20 . Verified. (RNS) Katie Ledecky has no obvious physiological advantages as a swimmer. A 58-foot-wide picture of Ledecky adorned the outside of the CHI Health Center in Omaha during the Olympic trials in 2016. Before the London Olympics, Ledecky trained at the U.S. teams camp in Knoxville, Tenn., with a small group of middle- and long-distance swimmers under legendary coach Jon Urbanchek. At year's end, Ledecky was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine. 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. [108][109][110] Ledecky swam a 15:40.50 in the 1500 meter freestyle, lowering her Championship Record from the day before and becoming the first winner of the women's 1500 meter freestyle at the US Olympic Trials. 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.. 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]. 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. 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). Swimming the third leg, Ledecky passed Australia and Canada to take the lead with the third-fastest split in history (1:53.67). Her time of 7:57.42 surpassed Mireia Belmonte's mark from 2013.[142]. Sometimes she faded. In between London and Rio, Ledecky quietly became the world's most dominant swimmer no longer just a distance specialist. When Ledecky isn't training, she doesn't stray much from her . [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. Joined with Mallory Comerford, Kelsi Worrell, and Simone Manuel, Ledecky recorded a split of 53.83, helping the team win gold with a time of 3:31.72, a new national record for the United States. She was also named the best female swimmer for 2013 by FINA Aquatics World magazine. Her win was made even more impressive by the fact that, per her Team USA . I really havent had too many of those over the past couple months, so thats a good thing.. Ledecky passed Quadarella and pulled away in the final 50 meters to win by 1.41 seconds. [105][106] Later the same day in the evening semifinals for the 200 meter freestyle, Ledecky finished first with a time of 1:55.83. Shes swimming faster than we are, said Urbanchek, coach to 44 Olympians and an assistant on six Olympic teams. The questions pile up too. Ledecky, who could reach only 21 inches a few years earlier, reached a personal-best 39 inches. She wasnt great at skills or drills we would try and teach her. [130] Ledecky won her second gold medal of the Olympics and her seventh of all time in the 800-meter freestyle. With her mark in the 400, Ledecky became the first female since Janet Evans to hold world records simultaneously in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyles. She didnt hesitate to start faster than they expected and maintain the aggressive pace. [7] In total, she has won 42 medals (34 golds, 7 silvers, and 1 bronze) in major international competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships. Ledeckys world records in the 800 freestyle and 1,500 freestyle are 1.95% faster than the second-best women. Were offering L.A. Times subscribers first access to our best journalism. Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky (born March 17, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer. 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. [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. (Photo: JIM SHORIN/isiphotos.com, Graphic: KATRINA LIOU/The Stanford Daily) By Inyoung Choi. [141], The following week at the World Cup's Indianapolis stop, Ledecky broke the world record in the 800m short course freestyle. [11][12][13][14] Ledecky's mother is of Irish descent. That night, Ledecky lowered the record again, setting the first world record ever at the new Gold Coast Aquatic Center with a time of 3:58.37. About 18 months before the London Olympics, Suguiyama suggested that Ledecky adopt the gallop. She won 10 Olympic medals, 7 of which were gold. Thank you for your support. There were many times where she was walking up for practice and I think, Thats the best female athlete in the world? Id just kind of chuckle to myself because theres nothing that said that.. 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. [38], At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Ledecky won five gold medals and broke two world records. 3x U.S. Olympic Swimmer (2012, 2016, 2021) 7x Olympic Gold Medalist 19x World Champion Stanford grad #TeamTYR - Katie@teamwass.com. Some said it would never happen. I dont think she had a clue how fast she was going. In Bethesda, she attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. We dont clamor for such answers while admiring a sopranos voice or an actors ability to make us weep. [73], A week following Stanford's championship win, Ledecky announced at the National Press Club that she will forego her final two seasons of NCAA eligibility in order to accept professional endorsement and sponsorship opportunities. 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. On the fourth day of the Olympic trials, for example, she won the 200 freestyle by a full body length after pulling away in the final 50 meters. 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. The traits, at least individually, arent uncommon in elite swimmers. She feels water better than anyone else has ever felt water, Barbini said. The usual gap for a world record is as thin as an Olympic medal. She has an uncanny ability to remain herself, not flinch in the face of scrutiny and focus on the task at hand. She was swimming like most classic female distance swimmers, Suguiyama later told the American Swimming Coaches Assn. Katie Ledecky is the most decorated of female swimmer in history with six individual Olympic gold medals and 14 individual long course world titles to date. 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. All of this feeds Ledeckys ability to do things in the pool that arent normal. During her career, she has broken sixteen world records. [30] In addition, she broke Janet Evans' American record of 8:16.22 that had stood since 1989. [42] Ledecky lapped three competitors in the final and finished 27.33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Boyle. [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. Ledecky's swim was the seventh-fastest performance in history. Midway through the 25-meter journeys at the Palisades Swim and Tennis Club in Cabin John, Md., shed grab a lane line and catch her breath like so many other 6-year-olds figuring out how to swim. When reminiscing about her pre-teen years in the pool, she told an athletic trainer that she cared more about perfecting her stroke than about winning. This is a completely different kind of race, 30 laps of endurance that is part of the womens Olympic program in Tokyo for the first time. Thats key to her success. [18], During the summer of 2012, she trained with the Nation's Capital Swim Club (formerly the Curl Burke Swim Club) under coach Yuri Suguiyama. The quiet 15-year-old usually kept up with the men, who noticed fearlessness and poise that belied her youth. She also swam in the 100-meter freestyle heats. She broke the existing mark by five seconds. Dinner. Theres no special sauce. The next day, Ledecky anchored for Team USA in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay, winning a silver medal alongside teammates Allison Schmitt, Paige Madden, and Katie McLaughlin behind China. Ledecky almost broke the world record in the 800-meter freestyle, finishing with a time of 8:11.35. During the summers prior to 2012, she swam for Palisades Swim Team in Cabin John, Maryland. On the final day of competition, she reset her world record in the 800-meter freestyle, clocking a time of 8:06.68. Is she tall for an elite swimmer? When she started working with Gemmell in 2012, she could not . Then it did. She met both. She won the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle races. He thought the she was sizing him up as another opponent to defeat. But her career is also a two-way conversation. [126] She swam a 1:55.34 in the semifinals of the 200 meter freestyle and advanced to the final ranking third overall. Im know Im supposed to be doing this too. She became the first woman to win four individual gold medals at a single Pan Pacific Championship. Her wins came in the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle and the 4200-meter freestyle. Shes kind of a freak athlete. She doesnt have a central governor like most athletes do, that mind-to-muscle idea that I need to shut down right now. Theres nothing you can throw at her that she cant convince herself that she can do., Lee Sommers, an athletic trainer in Bethesda, Md., who helped prepare Ledecky for Rio. 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. Thats amazing.. Ledecky's fastest time in the 400 freestyle is the world record time, 3:56.46, set in her gold medal-winning performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Visit latimes.com/olympics now and throughout the Games for the latest Olympic news and analysis. [84] Readers of The London Evening Standard voted Ledecky the International Sportswoman of the Decade. 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.
