“I remember that day very clearly” – When Katie Ledecky recalled meeting Michael Phelps as a 9-year-old [THROWBACK]
They say work hard until your idols become your rivals. Katie Ledecky didn't exactly follow this, but she went from asking for Michael Phelps' autograph as a nine-year-old to being on the same Olympic team as him a few years later.
Ledecky is hands-down one of the greatest swimmers of all time. With her recent haul of four Olympic medals in Tokyo—2 gold and 2 silver—she probably had to build another shelf to accommodate all her illustrious achievements.
In 2015 after the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, Katie Ledecky appeared in an interview for the Universal Sports Network wherein the interviewers showed her a flashback picture of a nine-year-old Ledecky asking Michael Phelps for an autograph.
10 years ago: A 9-year-old named Katie Ledecky gets an autograph from Michael Phelps (Credit: Ledecky Family) https://t.co/oOOPns5mor
They joked, asking her who the little girl was. She laughed, saying, "That's me." Ledecky reflected on how amazing that day was for her and her friends to meet big swimming stars.
"I remember that day very clearly. That was amazing. I think I had just competed at a zone championship meet and I went with some of my buddies from that meet to meet Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff, Katie Ziegler, and Ian Crocker."
She also said that she always told the story about how when Phelps gave her a high-five at the Olympics, it brought back all these memories.
"you know, I always tell that story being on a team with Michael at the Olympics just a few years later and getting a high-five from him in the ready room. It just flashed me back to to those memories of getting autographs from him when I was ten or six. It was a pretty surreal moment to be at the Olympic Games with somebody like that."
Katie Ledecky shifts to Florida
Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimmers in history. The swimming superstar is known for her pattern of shifting bases during every Olympic cycle. So far, she has trained with three different coaches for the three different Olympic Games that she competed in.
She has said that she likes to change things up after every Olympics event. After the Rio Olympics, she took admission into Stanford and trained under reputed coach Greg Meehan.
Katie Ledecky represented Stanford at the NCAA and brought in two national championships for her alma mater. After two years of doing collegiate swimming, she turned pro to buy herself enough time to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Tokyo Olympics were originally supposed to happen in 2020 but were pushed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Katie Ledecky completed her graduation virtually that year.
After the Tokyo Olympics, she decided to shift bases to Gainesville at the University of Florida to train with reputed coach Anthony Nesty. He has already trained star students with the likes of Bobby Finke, Kieran Smith, and Caeleb Dressel. She was also all set to become a volunteer assistant swimming coach at the university.
Katie Ledecky believed that training with such an impressive group of world-class athletes will provide her with the kind of push and motivation she needs. Her decision was also partly prompted by wanting to stay closer to her family, who live in Washington.
Her eyes are currently set on the upcoming Paris Olympics in 2024.