Topline
Swimmer Katie Ledecky secured her 13th Olympic medal on Thursday in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay when the U.S. took the silver medal—making her the most decorated U.S. female Olympian and the second-most decorated U.S. Olympian in history.
Katie Ledecky of Team United States competes in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final on day six … [+] of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on August 01, 2024 in Nanterre, France.
Key Facts
Ledecky and her relay team—Claire Weinstein, Paige Madden and Erin Gemmell—won the silver medal in Thursday’s relay race, while Australia got the gold and China took bronze.
With 13 medals, Ledecky passed swimmers Natalie Coughlin, Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres—all of whom she was previously tied with—to become the most decorated U.S. female Olympian and the second most decorated U.S. Olympian ever behind Michael Phelps, who has 28 medals.
Ledecky had already won two medals in Paris: She won the gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle and the bronze in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.
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Key Background
Ledecky made her Olympic debut in 2012 when she won the gold in the 800-meter freestyle as a 15-year-old. Since then, she has become an Olympic champion at every distance from 200 meters to 1500 meters, though long-distance swims are her specialty. She added five more medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and another four in Tokyo in 2021. Ledecky swam collegiately at Stanford University—where she was an eight-time NCAA Champion in her two years of swimming before she went professional—and she started volunteer coaching in 2022 for the University of Florida when she moved her training there to prepare for Paris.
Tangent
After winning her 12th medal on Wednesday—and her eighth gold—Ledecky said she doesn’t think this will be her last Olympic games. “I’ve been consistent over these last few months and last few years in saying that I would love to compete in L.A. and that hasn’t changed,” Ledecky told ESPN. “That could change … but yeah, I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in the sport yet.”
What To Watch For
Whether Ledecky gets another medal. She is still scheduled to compete in the 800-meter freestyle later this week, where she could lock in her 14th medal.
Surprising Fact
Ledecky was on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2016, when she was just 18 years old.
Further Reading
Forbes30 Under 30 2016: Sports
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