Katie Ledecky is a champion American swimmer. Ledecky has set world records in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1,500-meter freestyle events. © Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Two swimmers raced neck and neck down the lane in the women’s 400-meter freestyle in Tokyo, Japan, for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Representing America was Katie Ledecky. She received a silver medal, hitting the wall just 0.67 seconds after Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus. Hope was not lost for Ledecky. Just one hour after a fifth place finish in the 200-meter freestyle on July 27, 2021, she dove back into the pool for the 1,500-meter freestyle finals. In a shining example of stamina, Ledecky snatched the gold medal in the longest race in the pool and the first time women competed that distance in the Olympic Games.

Ledecky is a champion American swimmer. Ledecky set world records in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter women’s freestyle races in 2013, and a world record in the 400-meter freestyle race in 2014. She later broke each record at least once. Ledecky was a star of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She won individual gold medals in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter races, setting world records in the last two events. She also won a gold medal as a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay and a silver medal as a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay.

Ledecky first gained international recognition in 2012. In that year she was the surprise winner of the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the age of 15 at the Summer Olympic Games in London. She was the youngest American athlete to participate in the 2012 games. Ledecky won 4 gold medals at the 2013 FINA World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, Spain, and 5 gold medals at the 2015 championships in Kazan, Russia. FINA is the world governing body for the sport of swimming. At the 2017 championships in Budapest, Hungary, Ledecky won 5 more gold medals. She won another gold medal at the 2019 championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Her total of 15 career gold medals is a record for women swimmers.

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky was born in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 1997. She became a national swimming star in high school in Bethesda, Maryland. She set American records in the 500-meter freestyle twice, and the national high school record in the 200-meter freestyle twice. Following the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Ledecky entered Stanford University on an athletic scholarship. In 2018, Ledecky announced that she was turning professional. Her decision meant she would be ineligible to swim in college events, but she would still be eligible for the Olympic Games.

August 16, 2016

On Saturday, August 13, the United States became the first nation to win 1,000 gold medals since the modern Summer Olympic Games began in 1896. Hundreds of athletes have contributed to that gold medal count over the years, but during this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attention has focused on three stars of Team USA’s roster of 555 extraordinary athletes. Over the first week and a half of competition, gymnast Simone Biles and swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky have left the competition largely behind, winning a total of 13 gold medals between them. To this point, the rest of Team USA has 15 golds in Rio.

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles performs the floor exercise during the women’s all-around final at the world gymnastics championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Oct. 29, 2015. Credit: © Kyodo/AP Photo

Biles, competing in her first Olympics, led her talented teammates to gold in the Women’s team all-around—a tough combined test of the balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars, and vault. Biles scored highest on the vault with an “Amanar,” a demanding vault consisting of a roundoff onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vaulting table, 2½ twists in the air, and a blind landing. Team USA’s Aly Raisman—who scored second highest in the vault—also executed a difficult Amanar. Biles scored highest on the balance beam and floor exercise, as well. Together with Team USA’s Madison Kocian (who won the uneven bars) and Laurie Hernandez (who had consistently high scores and dazzled on the beam), the women crushed the competition, winning gold by more than 8 points (teams are often separated by tenths of a point) over silver medal-winning Russia. Simone Biles followed the team performance by dominating the individual all-around competition, winning gold over silver medalist Raisman. Biles went on to take individual gold in both the vault and floor exercise as well.

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps competes in the butterfly leg of the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Credit: © Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

Michael Phelps, already the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, came out of retirement to compete in his fifth Olympic Games in 2016. Unwilling to loosen his grip on that “greatest” title, he added 5 gold medals to his already massive haul (23 now in his career—the most for any athlete ever). Phelps helped his teammates win gold in the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter freestyle relays, as well as in the 4×100-meter medley relay. He also took individual gold in the 200-meter medley and the 200-meter butterfly—a grudge match against rival Chad le Clos of South Africa. Le Clos narrowly beat Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2012 Olympics, and the two had since developed a somewhat contentious rivalry.

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky competes in the women’s 800-meter freestyle race during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Credit: © Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Katie Ledecky, competing in her second Olympics, dominated her opponents in Rio, taking individual gold in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter freestyle races. She also earned team gold in the 4×100-meter relay. Ledecky burst onto the international swimming stage at the 2012 games, winning a surprise gold in the 800-meter freestyle at just 15 years of age. Look for Ledecky to add to her medal count at the 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan.

If you’re wondering what national team has the second-most gold medals in Summer Olympic Games history, it’s the Russians. Including games when they competed as part of the Soviet Union, the Russians have won 582 golds (as of today). The next three in order (all with fewer than 300) are Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy.