Exclusive: Katie Ledecky on the 'pretty good voice in my head' that made her a swimming superstar
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the USA Swimming legend reveals how she silences negative thoughts before races, and her thoughts on competing at LA 2028.
Swimming
Negative thoughts can enter the head of every athlete. For many, the key to success is dealing with those intrusive moments and not letting them affect your performance.
No one knows this better than USA Swimming star Katie Ledecky, who has managed to stay at the top of a mentally and physically gruelling sport for 12 years.
She has won nine Olympic gold medals and 21 world titles to date, and is the short and long course World Record holder in the 800m and 1500m freestyle.
But these records hide the enormous pressure of expectation, elite competition, and changes to her training environment she has faced along the way. During these tough moments, she focused on her internal voice to silence the noise.
“When it's just you in the water you're focused on your own lane, but you're also aware of what everyone else around you is doing. I do have a pretty good voice in my head that keeps me positive and keeps me moving forward in the race, keeps me focussed on my stroke, my rhythm, my pacing and just trying to stay consistent throughout the race.
Katie Ledecky: “Consistency is always a motivator"
Another key to the Washington D.C. native’s successful career is to retain her sense of enjoyment.
After taking up the sport as a six-year-old, she competed in her first Olympics just nine years later at London 2012, winning the 800m freestyle gold medal at age 15.
Despite this meteoric rise and the external pressures of turning professional, Ledecky never lost the enjoyment of competing in her favourite sport.
After defending that 800m free title at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024, she became only the second swimmer to win an event at four straight Summer Games.
“Consistency is something that I strive for and that’s always a motivator for me. My teammates and coaches motivate me every day in practice and I love the training. So that's what’s been keeping me going all these years, and continues to help me improve and to set new goals.”
*“*My dedication just comes internally from wanting to achieve my personal goals, but then externally from my coaches and teammates and the people that I surround myself with, who help me through the hard, hard days, keep me happy and loving the sport. I really do love the sport.”
Competing against Ariarne Titmus
Ledecky’s extraordinary dominance is made all the more impressive by the level of competition she has faced.
Her duels in the mid-distance freestyle events with Ariarne Titmus at the past two Olympic Games were legendary. While the Australian beat Ledecky in the 400m free at Tokyo and Paris, Ledecky triumphed over her rival over 800m both times.
Then there is the emergence of Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh, who sent shockwaves through the swimming world at the USA Swimming Southern Zone South Sectionals in February when she became the first athlete to beat Ledecky over 800m for 13 years.
Unperturbed, Ledecky reestablished herself as the 800m queen in the French capital.
*“*It's great to have good competition like Ariarne and so many swimmers that push me. It's it's what you want. You want to compete against the world's best. That's what the Olympics is all about,” she continued.
“Whether we're pushing each other in these competitions or when we're training, knowing that we're working hard and trying to be the best, it's great for the sport. It's great that we have that level of competition. But we also really respect each other.”
Ledecky to make history at LA 2028?
At Paris 2024, Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez became the first summer Olympian to win five consecutive gold medals in the same event.
Given her dominance over the 800m free, Ledecky could match Lopez’s feat at her home Games at LA 2028.
The U.S. swimmer will be 31 in four years, and with the roar of a passionate home crowd behind her, it’s certainly something she hasn’t ruled out.
“I would love to be there. I have to take it year by year at this point and I can't fully say whether I'll be swimming in it or not, but I'll definitely be in LA,” she said.
“I would love to compete in front of a home crowd. So, as long as I'm loving swimming and enjoying the sport, I'm going to give the sport everything I have. And hopefully, I'll be in LA.”