Katie LEDECKY

United States of America

Swimming

Olympic Medals

Games Participations4

First Olympic GamesLondon 2012

Year of Birth1997

Social Media

Biography

With nine Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship titles, Katie Ledecky is one of the swimming's all-time greats.

Having sprung to fame by winning 800m freestyle gold at London 2012 as a 15-year-old, the American has gone on to become Olympic champion at every distance from 200m to 1500m.

Since Paris 2024, she holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals in swimming by a woman (9) and ties Larisa Latynina for the most golds by a woman in any sport. Ledecky is also the first woman—and only the second swimmer after Michael Phelps—to win the same individual swimming event four times, dominating the 800m freestyle from 2012 to 2024.

She holds the world record in the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle and has never lost a race in a major competition within these disciplines (Olympic Games / world championships).

With 14 Olympic medals, she is tied with Australia’s Emma McKeon as the most decorated female swimmer of all time, solidifying her status as an unparalleled icon in the sport.

Katie Ledecky's Early Years

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1997, Ledecky fell in love with swimming at age six. She was inspired by her mother, who was a college-level swimmer. During high school, Ledecky broke several long-standing American records and earned an athletic scholarship to attend Stanford University.

While studying at Stanford, Ledecky continued to shine and made a name for herself nationally. She won eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles and set an impressive 15 NCAA records, winning back-to-back NCAA Team Championships and two consecutive Pac-12 Conference Team Championships for her team.

Katie Ledecky's Olympic Success

Ledecky made her Olympic debut in London in 2012 at the age of 15. She won her first gold in the 800m freestyle, defeating reigning world champion Kate Ziegler to start a remarkable Olympic journey.

Having won world titles in the 200 and 400 free, Ledecky was in a class of her own at Rio 2016. Her triumphs in the 200, 400 and 800 free saw her claim the most individual titles in the pool. She also set new world records in the 400 and 800.

With another gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay, she finished the meet as the second most decorated athlete behind the legendary Michael Phelps.

With the 1500m added to the Olympic programme for Tokyo 2020, Ledecky opted to concentrate on longer events. After losing her 400m crown to Australia's Ariarne Titmus, she retained her 800m freestyle title and became the first women's 1500m freestyle Olympic champion. With another relay silver in Tokyo, she became the most decorated American female athlete at consecutive Olympic Games, and the most decorated female individual swimmer in history.

At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Ledecky added even more hardware to her legendary swimming career. On opening night, she claimed a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle, finishing behind Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh. She then went on to defend her title in the 1500m freestyle, breaking the Olympic record with a time of 15:30.02.

She also achieved a historic milestone in the 800m freestyle, winning her fourth consecutive gold medal in the event and securing her eighth individual Olympic gold, ninth overall, tying Larisa Latynina for most Olympic gold medals won in any sport by a woman.

Ledecky also competed in the 4x200m freestyle relay alongside Claire Weinstein, Paige Madden, and Erin Gemmell, earning a silver medal with a combined time of 7:40.86.

Katie Ledecky's World Championship Dominance

In addition to her Olympic titles, Ledecky consistently excels in major international swimming competitions like the World Championships and the Pan Pacific Championships. Her unmatched accomplishments have redefined women's swimming.

The most decorated woman in World Championship history, Ledecky is also the only swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event, the 800m freestyle. She has not been beaten in the 800 free for over a decade.

Standing at 1.83m tall, Ledecky has broken 14 world and 37 national records during her career. She still holds the world records in both the 800m and 1500m freestyles, clocking 18 of the fastest 20 1500 free times in history.

Outside the pool

Katie Ledecky’s extraordinary achievements have earned her numerous prestigious accolades throughout her career.

She has been named Swimming World’s Female World Swimmer of the Year a record five times and was honored as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in both 2017 and 2022. She has been honoured with the USA Swimming Golden Goggles Award for Female Swimmer of the Year an unprecedented seven times and was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2013, 2016, and 2017.

In 2022, she was awarded the ESPY for Best Female Athlete, and in 2024, President Joe Biden honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

On June 11, 2024, Ledecky published her story in a memoir, Just Add Water, in which she shared her experience living with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.