Katie Ledecky is no stranger to the Olympic stage.
The 27-year-old swimmer has been a household name since she burst onto the scene 12 years ago in London. The 2012 Olympics were Ledecky's opening act, but she's followed it up with milestone after milestone.
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Now, as she enters yet another Olympic journey in Paris, Ledecky is one of America's biggest stars. She has more than 190,000 followers on Twitter and 600,000-plus on Instagram.
This summer will be Ledecky’s fourth Olympic appearance as she looks to build on her rapidly growing medal count. The Bethesda, Md., native is firmly established as the best active women’s swimmer in the country and is expected to keep adding to her resume in Paris.
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Here are five things to know about Ledecky:
Ledecky was 15 years old when she won her first Olympic gold medal
Just weeks after finishing her freshman year of high school, Ledecky qualified for the 2012 Games by placing first in the 800m freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Alongside famed American swimmers like Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps and others, Ledecky looked right at home on the big stage. She shocked the world in London, winning the 800m freestyle gold medal race by over four seconds. Her 8:14.63 time broke the American record at the time, which was set by Janet Evans in 1989 (8:16.22).
Ledecky won five Olympic gold medals before starting college
After adding four golds and one silver to her medal count at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ledecky was finally ready to head to college. She attended Stanford University beginning in the 2016-17 school year, swimming for the Cardinal under coach Greg Meehan (who was the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Olympic women’s swimming head coach). Fellow U.S. Olympian Simone Manuel was one of Ledecky’s teammates at Stanford.
Ledecky set 12 NCAA records during her freshman campaign before receiving the Honda Cup, given to the nation’s top female college athlete. She was the first freshman in 35 years to win the award. After setting three more NCAA records during her sophomore season, Ledecky signed with an agent and skipped her final two seasons of college.
Ledecky has several high-profile endorsement deals
Ledecky secured a number of sponsorship deals after leaving Stanford early. The swimmer inked a $7 million deal through the 2024 Olympics with sportswear brand TYR shortly after turning pro.
Ledecky also has exclusive deals with adidas, Panasonic, Visa, Reese’s and LaCroix. One of the most recognizable and decorated Americans heading to Paris, Ledecky will only expand her brand in the national spotlight this summer.
Ledecky holds multiple world records for swimming
Throughout her career, Ledecky has broken 16 world and 37 national records.
She enters the 2024 Olympics holding four world records for women’s swimming: the 800m freestyle short course, 800m freestyle long course, 1500m freestyle short course and 1500m freestyle long course.
Her 800m long course record was set at the 2016 Olympics, while the 1500m long course record was set at the TYR Pro Swim Series in 2018. Both of her short course records were set at the 2022 World Cup.
Michael Phelps thinks Ledecky is ‘the greatest female swimmer of our time’
Yes, you read that right. The most decorated Olympian in history — 28 total medals for men’s swimming — has high praise for Ledecky.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Phelps said after the Olympic Trials in 2021. “She's recreating what's possible. She's challenging her imagination. That for me is something that's awesome to watch. She's not afraid to dream, and she's not afraid to push boundaries.”
Ledecky and Phelps’ friendship goes back to the 2012 Olympics, when the latter high-fived the former just before she won her first gold medal at age 15. They’ve been linked ever since, even now with Ledecky as the face of American swimming since Phelps' retirement in 2016.
