Among all the stars set to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Katie Ledecky will be one of the most decorated.
With seven Olympic gold medals to her name already, the US swimmer could well and truly establish herself as one of the greatest athletes to compete at the Games this summer - which will be live on talkSPORT in July.
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Ledecky is particularly dominant in the 800 metre freestyle, winning the race at the last three Olympic Games. If she triumphs again at Paris 2024, she will become the first female swimmer to have four Olympic gold medals in the same individual event.
The only other swimmer to achieve this is sporting icon Michael Phelps, who did so in the 200m individual medley. Indeed, Ledecky has matched or surpassed Phelps on a number of milestones, consolidating her status as one of the best swimmers in history.
Matching Michael Phelps
Ledecky, who was born in Washington DC in 1997, began swimming at the age of six. Just nine years later, before she had even left high school, the 15-year-old future star made her Olympic debut at London 2012.
Despite her young age, Ledecky defeated reigning world champion Katie Ziegler to clinch a gold medal in the 800 metre freestyle, an event she would go on to completely dominate. Remarkably, even though it was on the greatest sporting stage of all, it was Ledecky’s first medal at an international competition.
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After London 2012, the medals kept coming. Ledecky won four world titles in 2013, following this up with five more in 2015. Then, at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Ledecky took gold in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle, as well as the 4x200m freestyle relay. The 19-year-old left the Brazilian city as the most decorated female athlete at the Games.
Once established as one of the best swimmers of all time, Ledecky decided to concentrate on longer distance events at Tokyo 2020.
She lost her 400m title to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, but successfully defended her 800m freestyle Olympic title and topped the podium for the first time in the 1500m freestyle. This left her Olympic medal tally at seven golds and three silvers.
Ledecky has also completely dominated on the world stage, earning 26 medals at the World Aquatics Championships overall.
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Last year, after winning her favourite race, the 800m freestyle, she became the first swimmer with 16 individual world swimming titles, surpassing Phelps.
“I know Michael, I know how many events he swam at meets like this,” Ledecky told Olympics.com. It’s an honour to even be in that same sentence. I’m going to keep going and hopefully win more medals for Team USA.”
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Diminishing dominance
The 800m freestyle victory at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships was also Ledecky’s sixth successive world title in the discipline, making her the only swimmer – male or female – to win that many gold medals in the same event.
Indeed, she had been absolutely untouchable in the 800m freestyle for more than a decade, and according to NBC Sports, had recorded the 29 fastest times in the discipline.
But recent events have suggested that Ledecky’s complete dominance in the 800m freestyle could be coming to an end.
Earlier this year, Ledecky lost a race in her favoured event for the first time since 2010. Her conqueror was Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, who swam a national record to beat Ledecky. Her time of 8:11.39 was the 17th fastest ever, reducing Ledecky to holding just the 16 fastest times in the 800m freestyle.
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This is still an astonishingly impressive record, but McIntosh’s victory suggests that Ledecky will have to be at her very best in the 800m freestyle at Paris 2024 to make history with a fourth successive gold medal.
McIntosh will be challenging Ledecky in the 400m freestyle too, while Titmus, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200m and 400m freestyle, will also be looking to limit Ledecky’s success.
Greatest female swimmer of all time
Regardless of Ledecky’s success at Paris 2024, she will still be considered as one of the greatest swimmers of all time.
Now 27 years old, she has broken an astonishing 16 world records during her career so far, and is still the fastest of all time in the 800m and 1500m freestyles.
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Ledecky is also incredibly down to earth and humble, which can be seen in her poolside interviews.
“I’ve never even dreamt of even coming to meets like this, so to be here and to have been to a bunch of World Championships is amazing,” she said after the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
“I am loving every second, and I am trying to enjoy each moment. There are some really great competitors in there in all of my events. Kudos to them for pushing me all the way.
"It is always a battle, it is always a great race. So I know I have to bring my best every single time.”
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Incredibly talented, determined and humble – Ledecky truly is the perfect sportswoman.
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