“To be this good with this many miles, we’ll never see anything like this” - USA Swimming’s director of performance praises Katie Ledecky’s longevity
Katie Ledecky's continued success over the past decade has made her one of the most prominent swimmers in the sport. In an era where athletes become injury prone at a young age, Katie has been performing exceptionally well over such a long time while maintaining her fitness.
In a recent interview, USA Swimming's national team director of performance, Matt Barbini lauded Katie for her longevity in the sport. Speaking to 'The Washington Post,' Matt Barbini stated that we can never see someone like Katie Ledecky with no major injuries at this age. He said:
"To be this good at this age, and with this many miles and no major injuries? We’ll never see anything like this ever again."
While swimmers in shorter distances tend to last longer as professionals, distance swimmers' careers are cut short in the long run. According to 'The Washington Post,' no female swimmer older than 24 years of age has won an individual gold medal in events more than 200m.
Katie Ledecky, who will be 27 years of age at the Paris Olympics, can break those age barriers if she wins an individual medal in her favorable events, such as 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 1500m freestyle events.
Katie Ledecky has made some changes in her technique
Last month at the US Nationals, Katie Ledecky claimed the 800m freestyle event at 8:07:07. With the dominant victory, she recorded her fastest time in the 800m since the Rio Olympics in 2016. Speaking of the technical changes Katie made, Matt Barbini said:
"Efficiency is a huge piece of what we’re trying to do with her. Kicking is the biggest energy-suck in swimming. And she’s much lighter on her legs now at the longer distances."
He also added that Katie Ledecky now does controlled kicks during swimming to conserve energy. Matt Barbini stated that the American swimmer would work on some technical problems. Speaking to 'The Washington Post,' he said:
"Sometimes, when we talk about how she looked not as good [in Tokyo] — sometimes, she would work herself into technical problems because she is so determined and dedicated to her craft."
"It’s weird that her technique sometimes ended up in a place we didn’t want it, just because she was trying to do everything right. She’s the hardest-working, most consistent athlete we’ve got."
From July 22, Saturday, Katie Ledecky will compete in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan. This will be the sixth World Championships in her career, and she will compete in the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 1500m freestyle events. Recently she ruled out retirement post the 2024 Paris Olympics and stated that she might compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.