Katie Ledecky's gold medal performance in Paris has solidified her as one of the top Olympic swimmers in history, but many may not know her journey to the 2024 Games is rooted in Florida.
The 27-year-old Ledecky is originally from Bethesda, Maryland, and attended Stanford, where she was an eight-time NCAA Champion, but in 2021 she ended up in Gainesville at the University of Florida.
KATIE LEDECKY IN PARIS
By the time she arrived in Gainesville, Ledecky was already a three-time Olympian, having competed in the 2012 London Olympics as a 15-year-old, followed by Rio in 2016 and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She'd already earned seven gold medals and 10 overall medals in those Olympics.
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Ledecky joined the Gators' program as a volunteer swimming coach and arrived to begin training for Paris with Florida head coach Anthony Nesty, who was an assistant coach for Team USA in Tokyo and is now the head coach in Paris.
"The knowledge and experience that Katie brings to the pool are unparalleled," Nesty said in a statement in 2021 when Ledecky joined the Gators' program. "In addition to her obvious excellence as a swimmer, Katie is an exceptional person who will make a great impact on the student-athletes here. Katie's values are in total alignment with the Florida program, and we're so excited to have her join the Gators as she continues to train for the 2024 Olympics."
Ledecky, who has won more gold medals in individual events than any Team USA female athlete in any sport, has only solidified her status in Paris.
On Wednesday, Ledecky won her eighth Olympic gold medal when she set an Olympic record in the women's 1500m freestyle with a time of 15:30.02. She also won a bronze in the women's 400m freestyle, bringing her overall medal count to 12.
And her Paris Olympics aren't over. She's expected to compete in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay on Thursday, and could race in the women's 800m freestyle gold medal event on Saturday if she qualifies.
