A dominant power for over a decade in swimming, Olympian Katie Ledecky is hoping to encourage younger and upcoming swimmers.
On the 2024 Paris Olympic Video games, Ledecky grew to become the most adorned feminine American Olympian of all time.
“There are lots of days which can be laborious. There are lots of races which can be difficult, however I adore it. I like being with my teammates. I like setting targets for myself and pursuing them,” she mentioned in an interview with “CBS Mornings.”
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Whereas she hasn’t set a brand new aim for herself simply but, Ledecky mentioned she has been having fun with a break to “soak all of it in” after working towards seven days per week for the Paris Video games.
Her new memoir, “Simply Add Water,” follows her journey from Bethesda, Maryland, to turn out to be one of many biggest athletes of her era. In it, she talks about assembly one other legendary athlete, Michael Phelps, when she was simply 6 years outdated. Years later, they grew to become teammates.
“I bought a high-five from him within the prepared room after I was 15 on the Olympics in London and at that second I simply flashed again instantly to wanting up at him, getting his autograph … that made such an influence on me,” she mentioned.
Ledecky writes about usually being in comparison with a male swimmer’s stroke, explaining she hopes to alter the dialogue.
“Once I was first approaching to the scene, I used to be swimming with a little bit of a distinct stroke than a variety of the opposite feminine distance swimmers have been swimming with and I feel that is actually what made me so nice, what shot me onto the scene was doing one thing a bit of completely different,” she mentioned. “I hope that sooner or later and possibly even immediately individuals can say, ‘Oh she swims like Katie Ledecky,’ or, ‘She has Katie’s stroke.'”
With 14 medals and 9 of them gold, Ledecky is probably not completed but. The four-time Olympian hopes to compete in Los Angeles in 2028.
“I might like to swim in LA. I feel an Olympics in the US, it is a distinctive alternative,” she mentioned. “Not each athlete will get to compete in an Olympics on residence soil.”