Swimming the third leg, Ledecky passed Australia and Canada to take the lead with the third-fastest split in history (1:53.67). Thats key to her success. Shes kind of a freak athlete, said Lee Sommers, an athletic trainer in Bethesda, Md., who helped prepare Ledecky for Rio. 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. Some of these things that might have come naturally and unconsciously when she was 16, now its conscious, Mark said. [30] In addition, she broke Janet Evans' American record of 8:16.22 that had stood since 1989. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) Michael Phelps, the 28-time. During the summers prior to 2012, she swam for Palisades Swim Team in Cabin John, Maryland. In winning the 400 through 1500-meter titles, she became the second woman ever to win the events in a World Championships since German Hannah Stockbauer in 2003. With the victory, Ledecky became the first swimmer, male or female, to win five consecutive world championship titles in an individual event. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) At . [135] Ledecky earned FINA's female swimmer of the meet trophy for a third time. She won the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle races. Katie Ledecky Wins Her 1st Gold In Tokyo, Reflects On The - NPR Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky (born March 17, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer. The standards for her externally, I think, are just tough sometimes, Meehan said. Katie Ledecky joining Florida Gators as volunteer swimming coach - ESPN.com A 58-foot-wide picture of Ledecky adorned the outside of the CHI Health Center in Omaha during the Olympic trials in 2016. Some said it would never happen. [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. 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. 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. She keeps logbooks chronicling most of her practices dating to 2011. Ledecky finished her high-school career as the holder of the Stone Ridge school record in every swimming event except the 100-meter breaststroke. Shes always trying to maximize her performance so theres nothing left in the tank. Fifty-two percent of SwimSwam.com readers voted Ledecky the top swimmer of the decade, ahead of Michael Phelps. No. The Americans (Simone Manuel, Ledecky, Melanie Margalis and Katie McLaughlin) set a new American record and swam under the existing world record with a time of 7:41.87, yet placed second to the Australian team (7:41.50). [19], In December 2016, Ledecky was chosen as one of the sponsors of the US Navy aircraft carrier USSEnterprise alongside gymnast Simone Biles. She achieved this result less than an hour after swimming the 1500-meter freestyle final. [132][133] Additionally, Ledecky signed on to be a volunteer swim coach for the Florida Gators. Theres a lot more pressure when youre 24 and going to the Olympics for your third Games as a heavy favorite versus being 15 and going to the Olympics with barely anyone knowing your name. She has no long torso, no wide. What I found over time what she was great at, though, was her desire to get better. [130] Ledecky won her second gold medal of the Olympics and her seventh of all time in the 800-meter freestyle. 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]. Sometimes she faded. Barbini noticed the mix of intensity and care thats as much a part of Ledecky as the blazing times. Do not let it pass over you., Subscribers get early access to this story. Genetics? Ledecky won by 4.13 seconds and just missed the world record by 0.53 seconds. This is something really, really special.. There were days where I wanted to tap my dad and say, Hey, can I just watch? Gemmell said. Are you willing to push yourself beyond all comprehension or are you not? Nagle said. 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. Some of the boys said, Jon, get her out of our lanes. Shes able to really lean into each arm, Sweetser said. [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]. In her third, and first relay event of her international career, the 4200-meter freestyle, Ledecky and teammates Shannon Vreeland, Karlee Bispo, and Missy Franklin won gold in 7:45.14. Ledecky recorded a split of 52.64 in the heats. During her career, she has broken sixteen world records. How Katie Ledecky became better at swimming than anyone is at anything [34], Ledecky scored more points than any other swimmer to earn the FINA trophy for best female swimmer of the meet.[35]. 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. Trust me. [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. Many of the top women in the world also possess great height, as world record-holders Sarah Sjostrom and Katie Ledeckey are both six feet tall (1.83m), while 100 free gold medalists Simone Manuel. 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. But the more coaches and trainers and competitors grasp for answers, the more the reality comes into focus. 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. Then the windmilling to the other side resumed. 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. She has no long torso, no wide wingspan . [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. Ledecky finished second in the 400-yard individual medley to Eastin, who lowered the record Ledecky set a month earlier at the Pac-12 Championships. The time that would be a career-making moment for almost any other swimmer surprised her. [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. 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. The Transformation Of Katie Ledecky From Toddler To 24 Years Old David Marsh, an assistant on the team who served as the womens coach in 2016, recalled coaches gathering when Ledecky swam. She reset her American, NCAA, and U.S. Open records in the 800-yard freestyle relay, 500-yard freestyle, and 400-yard freestyle relay and won a meet-best five race titles overall. 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. When she started working with Gemmell in 2012, she could not . 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. Were offering L.A. Times subscribers first access to our best journalism. Why we should frame Katie Ledecky's dominance in terms of women's More recently, in the 1,500 at the Olympic trials, again, except . 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). 'Gallop' or a 'giddy-up' Once the swimmers emerge from below the surface and. Each month, she sends practice video to Russell Mark, a former rocket scientist who is USA Swimmings national team performance manager. In that race, with the exception of the first 100 and final 50 meters, every 50-meter split was between 30.22 and 30.85 seconds. 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. I really havent had too many of those over the past couple months, so thats a good thing.. May 4, 2020, 8:23 p.m. Five days after she turned 23, Katie Ledecky '20 . Ledecky was also named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2017 and 2022, international female Champion of Champions by L'quipe in 2014 and 2017, United States Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year in 2013, 2016 and 2017, Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2017, and the ESPY Best Female Athlete in 2022. 578K followers. Two days later, she recorded a time of 1:54.88 en route to winning the 200-meter freestyle. 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. [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. I think she loves the training more than she loves competing, Michael said. 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. He describes them as holy cannoli swims that would leave almost anyone elses jaw on the floor. About 18 months before the London Olympics, Suguiyama suggested that Ledecky adopt the gallop. Ledecky's time was the sixth-fastest ever (behind only her own performances) and over 7 seconds faster than her winning time at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. [107], On day 4, June 16, she won both the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals in the evening. 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). Her face was red. They cant quantify this, but believe she hangs onto more water than other swimmers. Yuri Suguiyama, her first coach, watched Phelps break Australian Ian Thorpes world record in the 200 freestyle during the world championships in Melbourne. She doesnt have an unusually long torso or long arms or large hands. 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. She has an uncanny ability to remain herself, not flinch in the face of scrutiny and focus on the task at hand. An iron will? Then theres the sheer efficiency of how her body works. "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. Bay Area Olympians: Stanford-bound Katie Ledecky writing her own She also took bronze in the 200-meter freestyle and silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle. A similar picture covered the front of the building as the trials took place last month, another reminder that she is the face of the sport. When Ledecky isn't training, she doesn't stray much from her . 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.. Her combined 20 individual titles at the Olympics (6) and World Aquatics Championships (14) is also a record for female swimmers. She was just doing what Jon was saying.. Katie Ledecky Height, Weight, Measurements, Bra Size, Wiki, Biography Ledecky leaves some of the most experienced people in swimming grasping for the secret to her dominance. But the time was almost five seconds off Ledeckys world record set in Rio. Katie Ledecky heads to Tokyo Olympics - The Washington Post Katie Ledecky Visit latimes.com/olympics now and throughout the Games for the latest Olympic news and analysis. She set the record in the event nine months later in 8:13.36. Katie Ledecky shifts training to University of Florida ahead of Paris [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. 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. Follow. That continued when Ledecky arrived at Stanford as a freshman in 2016. Rio Olympics: Katie Ledecky dominating in run-up to Games View Photos Bethesda teen will swim four events in Rio. 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. The Untold Truth Of Katie Ledecky - TheList It was two big kicks and bilateral breathing. Figure Skating championships. [32] The hard-fought race saw Ledecky overcome Dane Lotte Friis in the final few hundred meters after losing the lead at the 300-meter mark and included a final 50 split of 29.47. [68] Later that evening, Ledecky swam the third leg of the 4100-meter freestyle. Stanford earned its second team title in as many years. Ledecky accepted an athletic scholarship to Stanford University, where she swam for coach Greg Meehan's Stanford Cardinal women's swimming team. The girl couldnt make it across the pool. 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. At just 19 years old, Katie Ledecky is the most dominant swimmer in the world. The stroke thats propelled Ledecky to record after record is connected to another legend. What makes Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky so remarkable? Born in Maryland in 1997, Katie Ledecky began swimming competitively at age six. 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. [38], At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Ledecky won five gold medals and broke two world records. Unlike her other races, it was not an easy win for Ledecky, which featured the likes of Missy Franklin and Federica Pellegrini. [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. 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. This started as a child. They review the video together, as much for what he notices as her feedback. She got her degree instead", "What's Next For Super Olympian Katie Ledecky? She became the first woman to win four individual gold medals at a single Pan Pacific Championship. Her time of 7:57.42 surpassed Mireia Belmonte's mark from 2013.[142]. They were called watch times.. Thats not new. [45], In the heats of the 1500-meter freestyle on the second day of competition, Ledecky broke her own world record in a time of 15:27.71. In the final, Ledecky went out hard and, by the 200-meter mark, she had already established an almost body-length lead. A lot of people have the tendency to want to protect themselves in their training, Sweetser said. What Makes the Perfect Swimmer's Body? - Swimming World News The stories pile up. Ledecky made her first splash in international swimming after her freshman year at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in . In between London and Rio, Ledecky quietly became the world's most dominant swimmer no longer just a distance specialist. [72], At the NCAA Championships, Ledecky won the 500 and 1650-yard freestyle events by record margins and anchored the winning 800-yard freestyle relay team of Katie Drabot, Brooke Forde, and Ella Eastin. 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. In the inaugural season of the International Swimming League, Ledecky represented DC Trident. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, convincing victory during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, U.S. swimming trials bring some clarity for athletes after a year of uncertainty, Skateboard phenom Nyjah Huston, a rising Olympic star, blends in on SoCal streets, Elliott: Allyson Felixs desire to win gold on the Olympic stage continues to shine bright, Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold in giant slalom for seventh world title, Bass chief of staff says hell avoid Olympics issues for a year. During the 201617 NCAA season, Ledecky set 12 NCAA records and nine American records while swimming as a freshman for Stanford University. He thought the she was sizing him up as another opponent to defeat. [120][121] However, she finished second to Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus to win the silver medal, trailing Titmus by half a second after leading at the 300m mark. I dont think she had a clue how fast she was going. While every distance swimmer grinds through thousands of monotonous yards each week, these sessions are somehow different for Ledecky. [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]. They swam identical workouts. Katie Ledecky, left, finishes the womens 400-meter freestyle final far ahead of silver medal winner Leah Smith, right, during the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on July 23, 2017. [88] Ledecky did not compete at any other events during 2020. 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. She wasnt a great kicker. Her world records came in the 400- and 1500-meter freestyles, with times of 3:58.37 and 15:28.36, respectively. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Katie Ledecky reacts after winning her heat in the Womens 200 Freestyle during the second wave of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on June 15 in Omaha, Neb. [11][12][13][14] Ledecky's mother is of Irish descent. Still recovering from illness, Ledecky qualified second the next day for the final of the 800-meter freestyle. Katie Ledecky Dimensions & Drawings | Dimensions.com On the first day of competition, Ledecky won gold in the 800-meter freestyle with a championship-record time of 8:09.13, topping runner-up Ariarne Titmus of Australia by 7.94 seconds. [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. [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. The top 11 times. 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]. 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. Katie Ledecky competes in the women's 1500-meter freestyle during the U.S. Olympic swim trials on June 16 in Omaha, Neb. [16] Her uncle Jon Ledecky is a businessman and a co-owner of the NHL team New York Islanders. What transformed that girl who couldnt make it across the pool? 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]. In Bethesda, she attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. 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. I promise this isnt because Im getting my butt kicked.. Ledecky opened the Trials with a win and meet record in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.98). Catholic faith anchors swimmer Katie Ledecky - Religion News Service 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. Winning both? [71], Following another undefeated dual meet season, Ledecky earned Swimmer of the Meet honors for the second straight year at the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, sweeping the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley, and 200-yard freestyle. [8], Ledecky was born in Washington, D.C.[1] and raised in the suburb of Bethesda, Maryland,[9] the daughter of Mary Gen (Hagan) and David Ledecky. 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 began 2016 at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Austin. Ledecky won easily in 4 minutes 1.27 seconds, the 43rd-fastest swim ever by a woman. Shes swimming faster than we are, said Urbanchek, coach to 44 Olympians and an assistant on six Olympic teams. She subsequently announced her withdrawal from the 1500 and 200-meter freestyle due to illness.[81]. We want to know what transformed that girl who couldnt make it across the pool? Maybe there isnt a secret. Theres no special sauce. National Team Director Frank Busch described Ledecky's 1500 performance as "the most impressive race I have ever seen, and I've been in the sport for 50 years. She's blazing a completely different trail than anyone who has come before. When Bruce Gemmell took over as Ledeckys coach at the Nations Capital Swim Club in late 2012, his young charge had an Olympic gold medal, but couldnt do a pullup. [119] Ledecky began her racing in the prelims of the 400 meter freestyle, ranking first overall with her time of 4:00.45 and advancing to the final.