Wednesday, January 4, 2023
A Decade of Dominance
Katie Ledecky won her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15. A decade later, she surpassed Natalie Coughlin as the most decorated female athlete ever at the FINA World Championships when she added four gold medals to her lifetime haul in Budapest, bringing her career world championships medal total to 22.
The awards rolled in as frequent as her record-setting performances. In December, she was named the 2022 Associated Press Athlete of the Year, voted on by a panel of 40 writers and editors from news outlets in the U.S.
“I know so many great athletes have won this honor,” Ledecky told the Associated Press (AP). “I'm really happy — happy with how my year went, and also excited about the future.”
She took the title of FINA Female Swimmer of the Meet home from Budapest and won two ESPYs later that summer. She was also a finalist for 2022 Sportswoman of the Year, presented by the Women’s Sports Foundation. At the USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards, she was named Female Athlete of the Year and won Female Race of the Year (800m freestyle), as well as a share of the Relay Performance of the Year award for her efforts in the 4x200m freestyle relay in Budapest.
At the FINA meet in Hungary, Ledecky touched first in the 800 by more than 10 seconds – becoming the first swimmer to ever five-peat as a world champion in the event – and won the 1,500 by nearly 15 seconds. She also claimed gold in the 400m freestyle and was part of the winning U.S. team in the 4x200m free relay.
As 2022 came to an end, Ledecky added two more world records to her resume at FINA Swimming World Cup stops – the 800m freestyle (Indianapolis) and 1,500m freestyle (Toronto), both swam in short course meters.
“I knew that record was within reach just based on some things I've done in training, especially my distance stuff (as it) has felt really good this fall,” Ledecky told the AP of her Toronto race. “So I felt locked into the pace.”
The distance star shaved 10 seconds off the previous 1,500m record with a time of 15:08.24 and two seconds off the previous 800m record with a time of 7:57.42.
She has held the long-course world record in both the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle since 2013. Over three Olympic appearances, the Bethesda, Md. native has claimed seven gold medals and three silvers.
It’s clear … Ledecky is locked in on the 2024 Paris Games.
The awards rolled in as frequent as her record-setting performances. In December, she was named the 2022 Associated Press Athlete of the Year, voted on by a panel of 40 writers and editors from news outlets in the U.S.
“I know so many great athletes have won this honor,” Ledecky told the Associated Press (AP). “I'm really happy — happy with how my year went, and also excited about the future.”
She took the title of FINA Female Swimmer of the Meet home from Budapest and won two ESPYs later that summer. She was also a finalist for 2022 Sportswoman of the Year, presented by the Women’s Sports Foundation. At the USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards, she was named Female Athlete of the Year and won Female Race of the Year (800m freestyle), as well as a share of the Relay Performance of the Year award for her efforts in the 4x200m freestyle relay in Budapest.
At the FINA meet in Hungary, Ledecky touched first in the 800 by more than 10 seconds – becoming the first swimmer to ever five-peat as a world champion in the event – and won the 1,500 by nearly 15 seconds. She also claimed gold in the 400m freestyle and was part of the winning U.S. team in the 4x200m free relay.
As 2022 came to an end, Ledecky added two more world records to her resume at FINA Swimming World Cup stops – the 800m freestyle (Indianapolis) and 1,500m freestyle (Toronto), both swam in short course meters.
“I knew that record was within reach just based on some things I've done in training, especially my distance stuff (as it) has felt really good this fall,” Ledecky told the AP of her Toronto race. “So I felt locked into the pace.”
The distance star shaved 10 seconds off the previous 1,500m record with a time of 15:08.24 and two seconds off the previous 800m record with a time of 7:57.42.
She has held the long-course world record in both the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle since 2013. Over three Olympic appearances, the Bethesda, Md. native has claimed seven gold medals and three silvers.
It’s clear … Ledecky is locked in on the 2024 Paris Games.