Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky is an American female swimmer born on 17th March 1997. She hails from Bethesda in Maryland, United States. Katie specializes in Freestyle and represents the USA in 200m, 400m, and 800m Freestyles.

Background:

Katie Ledecky was born to David Ledecky and Mary Hagan. Her father is of Czech descent, whereas her mother is of Irish descent. Her mother and older brother, Michael Ledecky, competed for the University of Mexico in swimming.

Katie took up swimming at the young age of 6. She attended the Little Flower School till 8th grade and then moved to Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, where she completed her high school education. While at high school, she shattered the national high school record twice in 200m Freestyle.

In 2015, after graduating from high school, Katie joined Stanford University on an athletic scholarship, where she became a member of the Stanford Cardinal swimming team and trained under Greg Meehan. She had represented them at the NCAA Division 1 Swimming Championships.

In 2020, Katie Ledecky graduated from Stanford University with a BA degree in Psychology. She currently trains with Nation’s Capital Swim Club and coaches Greg Meehan and Bruce Gemmell.

Rise to Glory:

After her success at high school swimming, Katie Ledekcy began to take a stride in her career by participating in the 2012 US Olympics trials, where she won 800m Freestyle and finished 3rd in 400m Freestyle and qualified for the London Olympics.

In 2013, Katie clinched the three titles in 400m, 800m, and 1500m Freestyles and a Silver medal in 200m Freestyle at the USA National Swimming Championships. The following year, she defended her national titles in 400m and 800m Freestyles and also won the 200m Freestyle title. Katie has 16 national titles in 800m Freestyle (6), 400m Freestyle (5), 200m Freestyle (4), and 1500m Freestyle (1) under her belt.

At the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming Championships, Katie clinched five titles in 200y, 500y, 1650y Freestyles, 4x400y Freestyle, and 4x800y Freestyle. The following year, she defended her NCAA titles in 500y, 1650y Freestyles, and 4x800y Freestyle.

Katie Ledekcy holds world records in 400m, 800m, and 1500m Freestyles.

Major Achievements:

Katie Ledecky made her international debut at the 2012 London Olympics, where she won the Gold medal in 800m Freestyle. In 2013, she clinched four titles in 400m, 800, 1500m Freestyles, and 4x200m Freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships. The following year, Katie bagged five Gold medals in 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m Freestyles, and 4x200m Freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships.

Katie had defended her World Aquatics titles twice in 400m, 1500m Freestyles and 4x200m Freestyle (2015 and 2017), and thrice in 800m Freestyle (2015, 2017, and 2019). She had also won a title in 4x100m Freestyle (2017), and three Silver medals in 200m Freestyle (2017), 400m Freestyle, and 4x200m Freestyle (2019) at the World Aquatics Championships

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Katie swept four Gold medals in 200m, 400m, 800m Freestyles and 4x200m Freestyle, and a Silver in 4x100m Freestyle. In 2018, she defended her Gold medals in 400m, 800m, and 1500m Freestyles and also won a Silver medal in 4x200m Freestyle and a Bronze in 200m Freestyle.

Katie Ledecky is eyeing to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics via US Olympic Trials and will look to defend her Olympic titles in 200m, 400m, and 800m Freestyles.