Start of Katie Ledecky: “The Incomparable One” – Part II
Continued from Prior Post – Katie Ledecky: “The Incomparable One” – Part 1
During the 2017–18 NCAA season, Ledecky set another three NCAA records and two American records while helping lead Stanford to its second straight team title. At the Texas A&M Invitational in November 2017, Ledecky lowered her American and U.S. Open mark in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:03.31. Following another undefeated dual meet season, Ledecky earned Swimmer of the Meet honors for the 2nd straight year at the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way…..after sweeping the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard freestyle…..then in the 400-yard individual medley, Ledecky broke Katinka Hosszú‘s all-time record by one-hundredth of a second…..after finishing in 3:56.53…..which earned Stanford its 2nd team title in as many years. 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…..then she finished 2nd in the 400-yard individual medley to Eastin…..who lowered the record Ledecky had set a month earlier at the Pac-12 Championships. In the 1650-yard freestyle…..after which she 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. In the team standings, Stanford beat runner-up California-Berkeley by 220 points …..which was the largest margin of victory in the past 25 years.
Swimming – 2018 Phillips 66 National Championship Special – “Katie Ledecky Wins Women’s 400m Freestyle Finals” – 2018 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Katie Ledecky just ‘keeps on keepin’ on’ at the USA National Championships with her 400m win”
Swimming – 2018 Phillips 66 National Championship Special – “Katie Ledecky Wins Women’s 200m Freestyle Finals” – 2018 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Olympians Katie Ledecky, Allison Schmitt Finish 1st And 2nd In 200m Free at Summer Champions Series”
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. She signed with Wasserman sports agent Dan Levy for representation. 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.
Swimming – Film & Interview Special – “Why Katie Ledecky Turned Pro in 2018: Gold Medal Minute Presented by SwimOutlet.com” – 2018 – A SwimSwam Production Special – “Katie Ledecky Shows A Tremendous Amount of Wisdom At Age 21”
Ledecky made her debut as a professional swimmer on May 16, 2018, at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, Indiana…..where she beat her old world record in the 1500-meter freestyle by setting a new world record of 15:20.48 …..when she broke the existing mark by five seconds.
Swimming & World Records – TYR Pro Swim Series Indianapolis – “Katie Ledecky Breaks Her Own World Record in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle” – 2018 – A swimoutlet Production Special – “In a simply stunning performance that shocked the swim world for its timing and venue (if not necessarily the person accomplishing the feat), Katie Ledecky set a World Record in the 1500m at TYR Pro Swim Series Indianapolis in May to capture their Arena Performance of the Month selected by SwimOutlet.com. It was the 6th time she’s lowered the world mark in the 1500m…..while lowering the record by 22 seconds over the past five years. You have to watch this to believe it!
In July 2018, at the US National Swimming Championships, Ledecky qualified for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships by finishing 1st in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle.
Swimming & News – 2018 U.S. Nationals: Katie Ledecky Press Conference – 2018 – A SwimSwam Production Special – “USA Katie Ledecky Proves To Have Wisdom Beyond Her Years In This Press Conference at The U.S. Nationals Competition”
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. She also took bronze in the 200-meter freestyle and silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle. On the first day of competition Pan Pacific Swimming Championship, Ledecky won gold in the 800-meter freestyle with a championship-record time of 8:09.13…..while topping runner-up Ariarne Titmus of Australia by 7.94 seconds…..when just over an hour later, she took 3rd in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:55.15…..while finishing behind Canada’s Taylor Ruck’s time of 1:54.44 and Japan’s Rikako Ikee’s 1:54.85.
Swimming – A SwimOutlet.com Gold Medal Minute Special Film – “Is Ledecky the Greatest Freestyler of All-Time?” – 2014 – A SwimSwam Production Special – “Katie Ledecky now (2014) has the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle world records, and she appears to be on-track to threaten the 200 freestyle world record by the 2016 Olympic Games…..Is Ledecky the greatest freestyler of all-time?”
Swimming – 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Special – “USA Katie Ledecky Wins 1500m Freestyle Breaking Hew Own World Record at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships” – 2014 – A Kenneth Mcquiston Production Special – “At Age 17, USA Katie Ledecky Wins 1500m Freestyle in World Record Time”
The next day, Ledecky anchored the United States team of Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Katie McLaughlin in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay…..after entering the water with a 2.88-second deficit…..that’s when Ledecky swam the 4th-fastest relay split in history (1:53.84)…..and nearly overtaking Australian Madeline Groves…..who touched 0.25 seconds ahead of Ledecky to set a new championship and national record. On the third day, Ledecky defeated Titmus wire-to-wire in the 400-meter freestyle…..then she concluded the championships with another gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle…..while winning by a margin of 21.11-seconds in 15:38.97.
Swimming – 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Special – “USA Katie Ledecky Wins 400m Freestyle In World Record Time at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships” – 2014 – A Alice Tsui Production Special – “At Age 17, USA Katie Ledecky Wins 400m Freestyle in World Record Time”
At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Ledecky battled illness and withdrew from two events before winning her 4th-straight World Championship title in the 800-meter freestyle. On the first day of competition, Ledecky led Australian Ariarne Titmus into the final wall of the 400-meter freestyle final before fading to 2nd…..then the next morning, she struggled through her preliminary heat of the 1500-meter freestyle despite qualifying 1st for the event’s final…..when she subsequently announced her withdrawal from the 1500 and 200-meter freestyle due to illness…..as Ledecky returned to competition 3 days later to swim the final of the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay…..as 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…..but, placed 2nd to the Australian team who won with a time of 7:41.50.
Swimming – A Legends x Legacy TOGETHXR Special – ” How Katie Ledecky Rewrote The Rules for Swimming” – 2024 – A Togethxr Production Special – “Katie Ledecky is a household name in the sport of swimming…..and she’s only 27 years old…..while already one of the most decorated swimmers ever…..as the way she finishes races eclipses the norm of it coming down to hundredths of a second…..while Missy Franklin Johnson is a 5-time Olympic medalist who knows what it takes to break and hold records in this sport…..as she discusses the importance of not becoming complacent while watching Katie’s greatness but truly understanding how dominant she is in real time.”
Still recovering from illness, Ledecky qualified second the next day for the final of the 800-meter freestyle…..when in the final, she swam to an early lead before Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella took over midway through the race…..as Ledecky trailed Quadarella into the final lap…..but Ledecky passed Quadarella and pulled away in the final 50 meters to win by 1.41 seconds.
Swimming – 2019 Swimming World Championship from Gwangju, South Korea – “Women’s 800m Freestyle Final Duel Between USA Katie Ledecky vs ITA Simona Quadarella for Gold at Gwangju, South Korea – 2019 – A Francisco Luesordo Production Special – “Katie Ledecky Shows Her Grit and Determination in the Last 50m of the 800m Freestyle Race To Win Gold”
In the inaugural season of the International Swimming League, Ledecky represented DC Trident…..when for the 7th-straight year, she finished the year with the top times in the world in both the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle at 8:10.70 and 15:35.98 respectively. Ledecky collected several end-of-decade honors…..as 52% of SwimSwam.com readers voted Ledecky the top swimmer of the decade…..which was ahead of Michael Phelps…..and readers of The London Evening Standard voted Ledecky the International Sportswoman of the Decade…..while she finished 3rd in the Associated Press’s Female Athlete of the Decade voting, behind Serena Williams and Simone Biles.
Swimming – A Skills N’ Talents Special Film – “Katie Ledecky’s Swimming Strategy Should Be Impossible If It Wasn’t For Her Technique” – 2021 – A Skills N’ Talents Production Special – “Ledecky has the best time in the world by 20 seconds! Here we told how she got to be so good…..and about her possible rival…..so, in Tokyo 2021 Olympics will be the 1st time that the 1,500m freestyle will be swam in the female events.”
Ledecky began 2020 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, where she won the 200-, 400- and 1500-meter freestyle races…..but she had to withdraw from the 800-meter freestyle race due to illness. Ledecky did not compete at any other events during 2020…..so, she began 2021 at the TYR Pro Swim Series at San Antonio, Texas….. where she won the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle races.
Swimming – TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa Special – “Katie Ledecky Destroys the Field in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Heat Race” – 2020 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Katie Ledecky and Leah Smith arrived in Iowa ready to race. Their performances proved as much in the women’s 1500m free at the TYR Pro Swim Series at Des Moines”
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 2nd place going to Simone Manuel.
Swimming – TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa Special – “Katie Ledecky Destroys the Field in the Women’s 200m Freestyle Finals Race” – 2020 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Katie Ledecky sets the fastest women’s 200m freestyle in the world at the TYR Pro Swim Series at Des Moines while swimming against a star studded cast of competitors”
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…..and 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.
Swimming – A Special Film Analysis of Katie Ledecky’s Freestyle Stroke Analysis – 2021 – A Fares Ksebati Production Special – “Katie Ledecky is one of the best swimmers in history…and her freestyle technique is top notch for distance swimming!”
On the 2nd day, June 14, 2021, Ledecky competed in the prelims of the 400m freestyle in the morning, swimming a 4:03.07…..which ranked 1st out of all prelims heats…..thus advancing to the final in the evening. The 400 meter freestyle was the 1st race on Ledecky’s schedule where she had the opportunity to make the 2020 USA Olympic Team…..when in the evening final of the 400 meter freestyle, she finished 1st with a time of 4:01.27…..which secured her 1st spot on her 3rd US Olympic Team swimming the 400 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics…..which was an accomplishment that was highlighted by various news outlets including NBC Sports, Newsweek, and USA Today.
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 USA Summer Olympics Trials – Women’s 400m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Taking 1st Place – 2021 – An EZ Swimming Production Special – ” Katie Ledecky wins the 400m Freestyle final at U.S. Olympic Trials with a time of 4:01.27.”
In the morning of 3rd day, Ledecky swam a 1:57.58 in the 200m freestyle prelims…..which was ranked 2nd fastest of all heats……when just 2 events later, she swam a 15:43.10 in the 1500 meter freestyle prelims…..which is down right INCREDIBLE…..both mentally and physically…..while being ranked as the fastest swimmer of prelims heat who advanced to the final …..and setting a new Championship Record over four seconds faster than the previous record she set in 2013. Later the same day in the evening semifinals for the 200 meter freestyle, Ledecky finished first with a time of 1:55.83.
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 USA Summer Olympics Swimming Trials – Women’s 200m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Wins Another 1st Place – 2021 – An Swimming Channel Production Special – ” Katie Ledecky wins the 200m freestyle final by a full body length for her 2nd 1st at U.S. Olympic Trials.”
On day 4, she won both the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals in the evening …..while swimming a 15:40.50 in the 1500 meter freestyle…..thus lowering her Championship Record from the day before…..and becoming the 1st winner of the women’s 1500 meter freestyle at the US Olympic Trials…..plus, she swam a 1:55.11 in the 200 meter freestyle…..as these 2 swims secured her spots on the US Olympic Team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 1500 meter freestyle and 200 meter freestyle individual events…..as well as the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay……while she won the 200 meter and 1500 meter freestyle finals in a time span of about 70 minutes apart…..as well as collecting her medal at the 200 meter freestyle medal ceremony while eating a snack.
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 USA Summer Olympics Swimming Trials – Women’s 1500m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Another Race – 2021 – An Swimming Channel Production Special – ” Katie Ledecky wins the 200m freestyle final by a length of 20m for her 3nd 1st at U.S. Olympic Trials.”
Friday June 18, 2021, the 6th 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…..which on the following day she won with a time of 8:14.62…..and qualified to swim the 800m freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the United States.
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 Tokyo Summer Games Women’s Swimming 800m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning 2nd With AUS Ariarna Titmus Taking 1st – 2021 – An Team USA Production Special – “Katie Ledecky wins the 800m freestyle final for her 4th 1st at U.S. Olympic Trials.”
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Katie Ledecky won 2 gold medals and 2 silver medals…..while making her the most decorated U.S. female athlete for a 2nd straight Summer Olympics……as she began her racing in the prelims of the 400m freestyle…..which ranked her 1st overall with her time of 4:00.45…..plus, advancing to the final…..where she finished 2nd to AUS Ariarne Titmus to win the silver medal…..while trailing Titmus by half a second after leading at the 300m mark…..albeit her time of 3:57.36 was the 2nd-fastest time of her career…..and 4th-fastest in history. This was Ledecky’s 1st loss in an individual event at the Olympics.
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 Tokyo Summer Games Women’s Swimming 400m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Coming In 2nd To AUS Ariarna Titmus – 2021 – An Olympics Aquatics Production Special – “A rivalry actually came from this race all the way through the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
In the debut of the women’s 1500m 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 1st overall. In the same prelims session as the 1500 meter freestyle, Ledecky also ranked 1st in the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 1:55.28…..and advanced to the event’s semifinals. She swam a 1:55.34 in the semifinals of the 200 meter freestyle…..and advanced to the final ranking 3rd overall. In the finals of these two events, Ledecky failed to reach the podium for the 200 m freestyle…..after placing 5th behind Titmus, Haughey, Oleksiak, and Yang…..but placed 1st in the 1500m race, leading teammate Erica Sullivan (silver) by 4 seconds…..while clinching her 1st gold medal of the Games…..when she finished the final in 15:37.34…..but her record from the preliminary round still holds.
Swimming & Olympics – 2020 Tokyo Games Special – Women’s 1500m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Gold in 1st Time The Women’s 1500m Was Competed in the Olympics – 2021 – An Olympics Aquatics Production Special – “Watch the 1500m final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics!….With American Katie Ledecky Capturing the Gold Medal With A Time of 15:35.35…..as 2nd place was taken by her compatriot Erica Sullivan in 15:46.67…..and 3rd place by Sarah Kohler of Germany.”
The next day, Ledecky anchored for Team USA in the women’s 4 × 200 freestyle relay…..while winning a silver medal alongside teammates Allison Schmitt, Paige Madden, and Katie McLaughlin behind China. 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…..when Ledecky’s split was the fastest of all swimmers in the relay finals. Ledecky won her 2nd gold medal of the Olympics and her 7th of all time in the 800-meter freestyle. Her 6 individual gold medals are the most of any female Olympic swimmer and female US Olympian…..and the 2nd-most of all Olympic swimmers behind Michael Phelps. She became the first swimmer to win a distance event three times in a row, as well as the youngest and oldest person to win the 800 free (at age 15 in 2012 and age 24 in 2021).
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 Tokyo Summer Games Women’s Swimming 800m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Her 3rd Gold Medal of the Games – 2021 – An Olympics Aquatics Production Special – “A rivalry actually came from this race between Ledecky vs Titmus…..which ran fiercely all the way through the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.”
Following the Olympic Games on September 22, Ledecky announced her intention to train with coach Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida. Additionally, Ledecky signed on to be a volunteer swim coach for the Florida Gators…..when not too long thereafter at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Katie Ledecky won all four of her events…..the 400m freestyle…..the 1500m freestyle…..the 4 × 200 freestyle relay…..and 800m freestyle. With four golds, Ledecky expanded her career World Championships medal haul to 22…..while passing Natalie Coughlin for most for a female swimmer…..as Ledecky earned FINA’s female swimmer of the meet trophy for a 3rd time. Ledecky then joined Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith, and Bella Sims on the U.S. 4 × 200 freestyle relay on day 5…..while swimming the 3rd leg, Ledecky passed Australia and Canada to take the lead with the third-fastest split in history at 1:53.67…..as USA Sims anchored the team to a championship record time of 7:41.45.
Swimming & World Championships – 2022 FINA Budapest World Swimming Championships – Women 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Finals – Featuring USA Winning Gold With Claire Weinstein + Page Madden + Katie Ledecky + Bella Sims – 2021 – A Perfect 10 Production Special – ” Katie Ledecky Team Beats Summer McIntosh Team in 4 x 200m Relays at the FINA Swimming World Aquatics”
On the 1st day of competition, Ledecky won the 400m freestyle in a championship record time of 3:58.15…..while besting Canadian silver medalist Summer McIntosh by 1.24 seconds…..whose swim was the 7th fastest performance in history.
Swimming & World Championships – 2022 FINA Budapest World Swimming Championships – Women 400m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Gold – 2022 – An After News Delight Production Special – “USA Katie Ledecky Beats GBN Summer McIntosh Team in 400m at the FINA Swimming World Aquatics”
Ledecky won the 1500m freestyle two days later in a time of 15:30.15….. which was over 14 seconds faster than runner-up and teammate Katie Grimes…..as her time was the 6th fastest ever (behind only her own performances)…..and over 7 seconds faster than her winning time at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Swimming & World Championships – 2022 FINA Budapest World Swimming Championships – Women 1500m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Gold – 2022 – An World Aquatics Production Special – “The full swim and medal ceremony of the women’s 1500m Freestyle where Katie Ledecky won another gold! Crushing the field and swimming a 15:30.15”
On day 7, Ledecky won her final event by over 10 seconds…..while recording a time of 8:08.04 in the 800m freestyle…..in a swim that was the 5th fastest in history…..while earning Ledecky the 28 fastest times in the distance…..and with the victory, she became the 1st swimmer, male or female, to win five consecutive world championship titles in an individual event.
Swimming & World Championships – 2022 FINA Budapest World Swimming Championships – Women 800m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Gold – 2022 – An Top News Production Special – “USA Katie Ledecky is the 1st swimmer in history to win a specific individual event 5 consecutive times at the World Champs in her roll of honor at 800m Freestyle”
On October 29, during the Toronto round of the FINA Swimming World Cup, Ledecky swam the 1500m short course event for the 1st time…..when she set a time of 15:08.24…..while breaking the previous world record set by German swimmer Sarah Köhler by almost 10 seconds…..then the following week at the World Cup’s Indianapolis stop, Ledecky broke the world record in the 800m short course freestyle…..when her time of 7:57.42 surpassed Mireia Belmonte’s mark from 2013.
Swimming – 2022 FINA World Cup Series in Toronto, Canada – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Setting New World Record in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Short Course – 2022 – A World Aquatics Production Special – “Katie Ledecky sets new World Record by nearly 10 seconds”
At the 2023 USA Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Ledecky won 3 gold medals in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle…..and a silver medal in the 200m freestyle…..when her times in the 800m freestyle of 8:07.07 and 1500m freestyle of 15:29.64 were the 3rd and 6th-fastest times in history….. while trailing only her own performances.
Swimming – 2023 Phillips 66 Nationals Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana – Featuring the Claire Weinstein & Katie Ledecky Battle for 1st in the Women’s 200m Freestyle Finals – 2023 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Talk About A Great Finish To A Great Race!!”
Swimming – 2023 Phillips 66 Nationals Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana – Featuring Katie Ledecky Winning Gold in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Finals – 2023 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Katie Ledecky wins Women’s 400m Freestyle at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis. Bella Sims and Leah Smith take 2nd and 3rd.”
Swimming – 2023 Phillips 66 Nationals Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana – Featuring Katie Ledecky Winning Gold in the Women’s 800m Freestyle Finals – 2023 – A USA Swimming Production Special – “Katie Ledecky wins Women’s 800m Freestyle at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis…..With 3rd best time ever”
At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Ledecky won 2 gold medals and 2 silver medals…..as her 16th career individual gold medal surpassed Michael Phelps for most individual gold medals at the world championships…..when on the 1st day of competition, she placed 2nd in the 400m freestyle to AUS Ariarne Titmus…..who set a new world record in the event at 3:55.38…..while Ledecky’s time of 3:58.73 topped New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather at 3:59.59 and Canada’s Summer McIntosh at 3:59.94 in the 1st women’s 400-meter race that saw 4 swimmers break the 4-minute barrier…..then, 2 days later, Ledecky won the 1500m freestyle by over 17 seconds in a time of 15:26.27…..which was the 3rd-fastest time in history….. while trailing only her world and world championship records. Shortly thereafter, she joined Erin Gemmell, Bella Sims, and Alex Shackell to earn the silver medal in the 4 × 200m freestyle relay…..when she swam the 2nd leg and posted a team-best split of 1:54.39…..as Australia lowered the world record by 1.79 seconds. Katie Ledecky concluded her meet on Day 7 with the final of the 800m freestyle…..when she posted the 6th fastest time in history at 8:08.87 to top China’s Li Bingjie by 4.44 seconds…..as Li and Ariarne Titmus became the 2nd and 3rd-fastest performers ever in the event…..while Ledecky retained the 29 fastest times in history…..plus, with this victory, Ledecky passed Michael Phelps as the swimmer with the most career individual world championship gold medals…..and becoming the 1st swimmer to win 6-straight world titles in an event.
Swimming – 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan Women’s 1500m Freestyle Finals – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning the Gold Medal – 2023 – A Mahender Singh • Production Special – “Katie Ledecky proves to be incomparable by 2023…..as evidenced by her performance at the Worlds.”
Katie Ledecky qualified for her 4th Olympics at the US Olympic Swimming Trials…..as she finished in 1st place in 4 events…..the 200m freestyle…..the 400m freestyle….the 800m freestyle…..and the 1500m freestyle while heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games…..where she and Team USA hoped to wrestle the overall women’s swimming domination back from the Australian women…..and in one of the greatest and most entertaining Olympic swimming competitions ever…..coupled with a super-human effort by Katie Ledecky while winning Bronze in the 400m freestyle…..then winning Gold in the women’s 1500m freestyle by a whopping 19m…..after which she captured Gold in the 800m freestyle by beating her arch rival AUS Ariane Titmus after losing to her in the 400m finals ……and then leading the 4 x 200m relay to a Silver medal….. which all helped the USA Team to triumph over the Aussies in the 2024 swimming competition at the Paris Games….. and this was a really big deal by beating the Aussies in Paris…..while heading to Los Angeles in 2028.
Swimming & Olympics – 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games Swimming Women’s 1500m Finals – “Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Destroying The Field for Gold in the 1500m Freestyle”
Ledecky was a USA Olympic team member in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024….. who also holds the female record for most individual gold medals with 16….. as well as having 21 gold medals overall at the World Aquatics Championships. Her combined 24 individual titles at the Olympics (8) and World Aquatics Championships (16) is also a record for female swimmers.
Swimming & Olympics – Special Film From The 2016 Rio Olympic Games – “Katie Ledecky: Five-Time Olympic Gold Medalist” – 2016 – An Olympics Production Special – “American Katie Ledecky is a five-time Olympic champion…..after winning gold in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 Olympic Games in London….. and in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio…..along with a silver medal in the 4 × 100m freestyle relay to add to her impressive medal collection.”
Ledecky’s memoir, Just Add Water, was published on June 11, 2024…..and true to her undeniable class and style, she continues to be the best Katie Ledecky that she can be…..for this athlete is truly The Incomparable One…..and her tale as an athlete is far from over…..as she’ll be 31 in Los Angeles in 2028.
Swimming & Music – A Visual Tribute To Katie Ledecky Put To The Music “Legends Never Die” – Sung by American pop rock band Against The Current – 2022 – An E.T. Production Special – “Wonderful highlights of swimming’s living and still competing legend USA Katie Ledecky.”
Ledecky has also received the following awards:
-
Swimming World World Swimmer of the Year Award: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
-
Swimming World American Swimmer of the Year Award: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022
-
SwimSwam Top 100 (Women’s): 2021 (#1), 2022 (#1)
-
2013 FINA World Championships: Best Female Swimmer
-
FINA Swimmer of the Year: 2013, 2022
-
2015 FINA World Championships: Best Female Swimmer
-
FINA Best Swimming Performance of the Year: 2015, 2016
-
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: 2017, 2022
-
L’Équipe Champion of Champions: 2014, 2017
-
Time 100: 2016 (youngest person on the list)
-
USOC SportsWoman of the Year: 2012–13, 2016, 2017
-
USA Swimming Athlete of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
-
USA Swimming Performance of the Year Award: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
-
Golden Goggle Female Athlete of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
-
Golden Goggle Female Race of the Year: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022
-
Golden Goggle Breakout Performer of the Year: 2012
-
Honda Sports Award Winner for NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving: 2016–17
-
Honda Cup Winner: 2016–17
-
Women’s Sports Foundation Athlete of the Year (Individual Sport): 2017
-
Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, Division I: 2017–2018
-
2022 FINA World Championships: Best Female Swimmer
-
Best Female Athlete ESPY Award at the 2022 ESPY Awards
-
Best Female Olympian ESPY Award at the 2022 ESPY Awards
Ledecky has also received the following honors:
-
Presidential Medal of Freedom: 2024
Swimming & Olympics – 2021 Tokyo Olympics Special – Swimming Women’s 1500m Freestyle Finals in Slow Motion – Featuring USA Katie Ledecky Winning Gold and USA Erica Sullivan Winning Silver – 2021 – A Thủy Trần Xuân Production Special – “Katie Ledecky Shows-Off Her 1 – 2 Beats Kick Style in Slow Motion at the Toyko Olympic Games”
Personal bests
Legend: WR – World record
Event |
Time |
Meet |
Date |
Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
400 m freestyle |
3:52.88 |
2022 FINA World Cup – Toronto |
October 28, 2022 |
NR |
800 m freestyle |
7:57.42 |
2022 FINA World Cup – Indianapolis |
November 5, 2022 |
WR |
1500 m freestyle |
15:08.24 |
2022 FINA World Cup – Toronto |
October 29, 2022 |
WR |
Swimming & Music – A Visual Tribute To Katie Ledecky Put To The Music “ROAR” – Sung by American pop rock star Katy Perry – 2022 – An E.T. Production Special – “Wonderful highlights of swimming’s living and still competing legend USA Katie Ledecky.”
Event |
Time |
Meet |
Date |
Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
200 y freestyle |
1:40.36 |
2017 NCAA Div. I Championships – Indianapolis, Indiana |
March 17, 2017 |
|
500 y freestyle |
4:24.06 |
2017 NCAA Div. I Championships – Indianapolis, Indiana |
March 16, 2017 |
NR |
1000 y freestyle |
8:59.65 |
2015 Nation’s Capital Swim Club Invite – College Park, Maryland |
December 13, 2015 |
NR |
1650 y freestyle |
15:01.41 |
2023 Florida Swimming Spring Senior Champs – Orlando, Florida |
March 12, 2023 |
NR |
400 y individual medley |
3:56.53 |
2018 Pac-12 Championships – Federal Way, Washington |
February 23, 2018 |
Former NR |
Swimming & Olympics – Special Olympics Film – “Katie Ledecky: The Greatest Female Swimmer of All Time – 4 Olympic Golds 4 Olympics In A Row In The Women’s 800m Freestyle” –
World records
No. |
Event |
Time |
Meet |
Location |
Date |
Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
1500 m freestyle |
15:36.53 |
2013 World Championships |
Barcelona, Spain |
July 30, 2013 |
16 |
2 |
800 m freestyle |
8:13.86 |
2013 World Championships |
Barcelona, Spain |
August 3, 2013 |
16 |
3 |
1500 m freestyle (2) |
15:34.23 |
2014 TWST Senior Invitational |
Shenandoah, Texas |
June 19, 2014 |
17 |
4 |
800 m freestyle (2) |
8:11.00 |
2014 TWST Senior Invitational |
Shenandoah, Texas |
June 22, 2014 |
17 |
5 |
400 m freestyle |
3:58.86 |
2014 National Championships |
Irvine, California |
August 9, 2014 |
17 |
6 |
400 m freestyle (2) |
3:58.37 |
2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships |
Gold Coast, Australia |
August 23, 2014 |
17 |
7 |
1500 m freestyle (3) |
15:28.36 |
2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships |
Gold Coast, Australia |
August 24, 2014 |
17 |
8 |
1500 m freestyle (4) |
15:27.71 |
2015 World Championships |
Kazan, Russia |
August 3, 2015 |
18 |
9 |
1500 m freestyle (5) |
15:25.48 |
2015 World Championships |
Kazan, Russia |
August 4, 2015 |
18 |
10 |
800 m freestyle (3) |
8:07.39 |
2015 World Championships |
Kazan, Russia |
August 8, 2015 |
18 |
11 |
800 m freestyle (4) |
8:06.68 |
2016 Arena Pro Swim Series |
Austin, Texas |
January 17, 2016 |
18 |
12 |
400 m freestyle (3) |
3:56.46 |
2016 Summer Olympics |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
August 7, 2016 |
19 |
13 |
800 m freestyle (5) |
8:04.79 |
2016 Summer Olympics |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
August 12, 2016 |
19 |
14 |
1500 m freestyle (6) |
15:20.48 |
2018 TYR Pro Swim Series |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
May 16, 2018 |
21 |
No. |
Event |
Time |
Meet |
Location |
Date |
Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
1500 m freestyle |
15:08.24 |
2022 FINA World Cup |
Toronto, Canada |
October 29, 2022 |
25 |
2 |
800 m freestyle |
7:57.42 |
2022 FINA World Cup |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
November 5, 2022 |
25 |
Olympics & News – Special Report – Interview With Hometown Hero Katie Ledecky – 2013 – A CBS News Production Special – “CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas sits down with swimmer Katie Ledecky – a four-time Olympian and 14-time medalist – in Paris to discuss her impressive performance at the 2024 Games, the honor of carrying the American flag at the Olympics closing ceremonies and more.”
When push comes to shove…..it can be easily stated that barring any unforeseen mishap, Katie Ledecky will be representing the USA at the Los Angeles Olympics four years from now in 2028…..and judging by her incredible Olympic record since her 1st Olympic Games debut in 2012…..it is a safe bet that Katie Ledecky will once again grace the top of the trophy stand on multiple occasions when the Olympic Games resume in 2028 in Los Angeles. Any way you cut the pie, Katie Ledecky is something very special….. cut from a very rare bolt of cloth…..a cloth woven with God given talents, mastered by time and effort…..with pure love of what she is doing, while having a strong will and work ethic to continue her extensive training schedule…..while remaining humble and grateful for all that she has. The following video of an interview she provided at the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics speaks volumes to what a beautiful human being that Katie Ledecky is and will always be…..rich in character…..strong in will….. comfortable with sacrifice…..and joyful with accomplishment….. INCOMPARABLE in comparison!!!
Olympics & News – Special – Extended Interview With Katie Ledecky On 2024 Olympics Performance, Closing Ceremony Honor and More – 2024 – A CBS News Production Special – “CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas sits down with swimmer Katie Ledecky – a four-time Olympian and 14-time medalist – in Paris to discuss her impressive performance at the 2024 Games, the honor of carrying the American flag at the Olympics closing ceremonies and more.”
For the 1st time since I began posting stories about the greatest sports events and athletes…..along with the comedic genius and social insights of the comedians who made us laugh throughout history…..and the many genres and examples of incredible music made by the Kings and Queens of Music performed and recorded over time since the dawn of recorded music history…..while attempting to find a justifiable way to end this story about “The Incomparable One” Katie Ledecky…..simply because her story is far from being over. Simply put, we at ImaSportsPhile are of the opinion that her unbelievable accomplishments in swimming will carry well beyond the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics…..so, there is probably a decade’s worth of great races from her still in front of her as of this date, September 3, 2024…..cuz her drive for everything is so persistent, with an inspiring determination and focus for continuing forward in her swimming career…..which is insane by any standard in her level of endurance…..while proving to be such a strong and courageous athlete as there has ever been in the history of sport…..as I pretty much doubt if anyone else in the universe of sports has any more strength and determination as her…..with such bravery in pushing herself, so far past her limit…..while she should never have been able to finish many of her races at the pace that she did consistently throughout her career. How wonderful to fight for triumph, completely without fear…..while setting a standard for all people to be able to meet our own limitations with such courage. Her 1500m freestyle gold medal race at the Olympics was perhaps the most authoritative Olympic performance ever…..which at first really made me wonder!?!…..why everyone was swimming the opposite way in that video…..and that still photo of her finishing with no one else in frame is absolutely ridiculous…..Ledeky vs a yellow line……..Katie Ledecky is probably Poseidon’s long lost daughter…..but, dont call her superhuman…..cuz I think WonderWoman would suit her best…..for there simply isn’t a word that adequately describes the phenom that is Katie Ledecky! Her races are all hers as she consistently laps her competitors– it’s how many records is she going to crush that are the unknown…..7 humans and a fish…..I’m pretty sure she has gills…..while Legend says the other 7 are still catching up to this day….as the truth be told, you know you’re good when the time difference between you and 2nd is almost the same as the time between 2nd and last….for every time I watch her swim I feel like I am watching a great artist at work. She is the most beautiful swimmer I have ever seen. Watching this again 4 years later and still amazing to see. The close up during the race looks makes her look like a boat in the water…..with amazing anaerobic capacity and flawless technique. It’s insane how she barely moves her legs. we’re out here doing 100m flutter kicks while she’s got gold medals on a 2 beat pattern. what a QUEEN….I mean, ya gotta say, to be able to pump out a 30sec split on the 2nd to last lap of an 800 is insane…..and what’s even more amazing….she continues to only get better…..as her times at Paris in 2024 are her living proof!! So, we’re not going to even give a hint of thinking that Katie Ledecky’s sports story is any where near over! That means P*A*U*S*E and we hope you enjoyed our tribute to Katie Ledecky….. and ImaSportsPhile believes that there is a good chance that by the time she quits competing, she could very well be our choice for being The Greatest Athlete of All Time”
Swimming & Olympics – Special Paris 2024 Olympics Interview – “USA Swimmer Ledecky Gets Emotional Talking About Training Teammates Finke & Smith After Winning Bronze in 400m Freestyle” – 2024 – A CGTN Sports Scene Production Special – “Katie Ledecky provides a rare look into her soul in regards to why she continues to train”
