Paris 2024 Olympics: Katie Ledecky, 'first lady of freestyle,' ties 60-year-old record in a new chapter of her career
It has been 60 years since Soviet artistic gymnast Larisa Latynina stuck her landing in the floor final at Tokyo 1964 to become the female athlete with the most Olympic gold medals in any sport.
The cultural landscape has changed significantly since that time: Humans walked on the moon, Beatlemania swept the globe, the mobile phone and Internet were invented, the Berlin Wall came down, 15 editions of Olympic Summer Games were held, and Katie Ledecky was born.
On Saturday, 3 August, Ledecky tied Latynina's 60-year-old record as she stormed to her ninth Olympic gold medal.
Ledecky's victory in the women's 800m freestyle at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was the fourth consecutive gold medal in that event for the USA swimmer. The first came exactly 12 years ago, on 3 August at London 2012.
Ledecky was 15 years old then and, as her former coach Bruce Gemmell described her, “very quiet and even more shy.” In the 12 years since, the four-time Olympian and 14-time Olympic medalist has undergone a transformation not only from novice swimmer to one of the most successful Olympians in history, but also a personal one.
What has not changed is her love for swimming and her dedication to discipline.
"Self-improvement and enjoying training every day," Ledecky told Olympics.com about what drives her after sweeping all possible awards in her sport. "I love going to the pool every day. I'm kind of dreading the little break that I'm going to take coming up. I know I'll get back in the water probably pretty soon. I just love the feeling of being in the water and going to practice every day and working as hard as I can."
The hard and soft sides of Katie Ledecky
All eyes are on Ledecky every time she walks out for her races at Paris La Defense Arena. Cameras, cheers — the loudest for any non-French swimmer at Paris 2024 — follow her progress to the starting blocks. But it is not these moments that the 27-year-old cherishes most.
It is the training she does in different pools, some of them far from glamorous, ahead of her swim meets. The discipline of training is at the core of Ledecky's character, so much so that upon winning her ninth career Olympic gold medal her biggest concern was the break that would necessarily follow.
"I probably enjoy the training more than the racing," Ledecky said. "I have absolutely no idea what my fall is going to look like in terms of how long of a break I'm going to take, if I'm going to go to any meets. But, honestly, if I could go back to training on September 1 and just train all fall, I'll be one happy camper."
Ledecky’s discipline and consistency are well known in swimming circles, and are a source of inspiration for her teammates and rivals alike.
"I'm looking up to her. She's an idol," said Germany's Isabel Gose, who finished third in the women's 1500m freestyle in which Ledecky took gold by a margin of more than 10 seconds over the nearest competition. "I think every girl is looking like, 'Oh, that's Katie Ledecky and I'm starting with her, standing on the podium with her!' I was so proud."
Australia's Ariarne Titmus was 11 years old when she watched Ledecky race to her first gold at London 2012. At Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, Titmus challenged Ledecky in the same race and came up with silver both times.
Despite the second-place finish, there was no bitterness for Titmus as she leaned over the pool barriers to hug her rival and raise her hand in a mimic of a boxing round finish.
"That's just remarkable to me to think that she's still winning at this level and I just have the most respect for her," Titmus said after the race. "I know how hard it is to defend a title, and to go four in a row is unreal. I gave it my best shot. I'm really proud of my effort tonight, and I'm happy that she was the one to beat me and to keep her streak alive because that's just remarkable."
Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus on the women's 800m freestyle women's podium at Paris 2024.
While admirable, Ledecky’s laser-sharp focus has also been known to intimidate those around her. Even US Open tennis winner Coco Gauff was too scared to approach the swimmer during their first encounters in the Olympic Village. As she discovered later, she did not need to be.
"I met Katie Ledecky in the elevator and that was really cool," Gauff said. "I saw her at the dining hall but I didn't want to come up to her, but she was super nice. And she was like, 'Yeah, I saw you guys. Don't be scared to come up.' "
USA's Paige Madden has also seen different sides of Ledecky. Before the 800m freestyle final it was the severe version of her teammate - non-smiling, completely focused as she walked out to the blocks, the only finalist not to give a friendly nod to the spectators. After the final, it was a beaming Ledecky who reached over to give Madden a hug of congratulations on her bronze-medal result.
"I think she can come off as intimidating just because she is so accomplished. But if you have one conversation with her, you know that she's really down to earth," Madden told Olympics.com. "She's definitely got that fire inside, but she never let it affect her relationships or her attitude towards anyone else."
Madden experienced the depth of Ledecky's kindness when the veteran swimmer talked her through the women's 4x200m freestyle relay during Madden's Olympic debut in Tokyo. The two swimmers ended up earning a silver medal in that race, a result that was repeated in Paris.
While the individual 800m freestyle race had them split up on the podium — one with gold, the other with bronze — Ledecky quickly motioned Madden over to join her on the top step.
The "Star Spangled Banner" rang out across the Paris La Defense Arena, and in that moment it was hard to tell which of the two swimmers was more emotional — Ledecky who had just won her fourth gold medal in the event or Madden who was able to feel like she had.
Katie Ledecky: The First Lady of Freestyle
One way to spot the personal evolution of Ledecky over the four Olympic Games in which she has competed is by comparing photographs from her last and most recent visits to the White House in her birth town of Washington, D.C.
In the first, she is 15 years old, one of the youngest among the Olympic medallists and a little shy. Then-vice president of the United States Joe Biden leans down toward her to make some jokes. In the latest, taken in May 2024, Biden is president and bestowing a mature, confident Ledecky with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
As her former coach Gemmell, invited by Ledecky to accompany her to the ceremony, later said: “She was the star of the show as far as I’m concerned — maybe sharing it with Nancy Pelosi.”
"Just her utter confidence," Madden said about what she admires most about Ledecky. "She knows exactly who she is and she'll never apologise for it. And she's so awesome and such a genuinely nice person. I honestly can't even pick just one quality about her."
Katie Ledecky first met Joe Biden, then vice president of the United States, as a 15-year-old after winning her first Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
In addition to being an exemplary diplomat in a room full of politicians and dignitaries, Ledecky is first and foremost a swimmer and record breaker.
After her individual races at Paris 2024, she holds the 30 fastest times in the 800m freestyle, the 20 fastest times in the 1500m freestyle and has tied the record for the most gold medals won by a female Olympian.
Joe Biden, now president of the United States, meets Katie Ledecky to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom in May 2024.
The records, however, have never been a focus for the swimmer.
"I can't really think about these things too much," Ledecky said. "I know that there's only a handful of people that have won that many number of golds, that many number of medals, and it's an honour to be up there with so many great athletes from over the years. I never pictured myself being in this position."
On Saturday "this position" was in front of a scrum of photographers, gold medal around the neck, with an enthusiastic crowd cheering for her and waving posters with her name. One simply read "Legendecky."
The swimmer was savoring the moment.
"I hope that I'll look back on it with the same amount of joy and happiness that I feel right now and that I feel every day in training," she said. "Not every time was necessarily what I wanted this week, but I still felt so much joy going out there and racing, and I think that's what I'm going to remember the most.
"There's that old saying — I can't remember who said it — about how the medals fade, people forget their times, but you remember the relationships, you remember the emotions that you feel at these kinds of meets. And that's definitely what will stick with me."