“Take the lead, keep the lead, and…” – Katie Ledecky shares the winning motto she lives by
On November 30, Katie Ledecky defeated Summer McIntosh in a close encounter at the Toyota U.S. Open Championship 2022. With the win, she joined Will Gallant as the first to get selected for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Katie Ledecky, the fastest female swimmer in the world, talked about her most recent achievements. When asked about her favorite saying, she replied,
“We have this motto in our family: take the lead, keep the lead and that has been passed down. I try to lead by example and get off to a good start in my races too."
Katie Ledecky's Dominating Career
In the Olympics, Katie Ledecky has represented America three times. She has 10 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold, under her belt. Other than that, she has 22 medals at the long-course World Championships, not to get surprised 19 of these are gold.
She won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics when she was just 15 years old. Not only did she take home the gold medal, but she also shattered the American record that had lasted since 1989. Though astounding, it was only the beginning of her supremacy over the sport.
She put on a remarkable performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She ended up winning four golds and one silver medal. She also broke world records for the 400 and 800 m races.
She was a favorite when the Tokyo Olympics 2022 began. She participated in the 1500 m freestyle event for the first time at the Olympics and took home the gold. She took home 4 medals in all. She won gold in the 800m and 1500m meters as well as silver in the 400m and 2×200m freestyle.
At last week's Golden Goggle Awards, Ledecky won many prizes, including "Female Athlete," "Female Race," and "Relay Performance of the Year." Ledecky spoke about her 2022 Golden Goggle nominations,
“It’s great. It’s fun to celebrate the team from World Championships and raise some money for the USA Swimming Foundation.”
What's next for Katie Ledecky?
Ledecky just broke the world record in the women's 1,500-meter freestyle event in the short course pool (by nearly 10 seconds). When asked about her record-shattering victory,
“It was great, I was really happy with those performances and it was a good start to the season.”
Katie Ledecky is currently featuring in the Toyota U.S. Open Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. However, she might not be competing at the Short Course Worlds in Melbourne, Australia.
Ledecky said when questioned about her coach and the title of the current chapter of her life,
“Keep It Moving! A great coach, Jon Urbanchek, and a great friend of mine has always said ‘keep it moving.’ I am always trying to move forward.”
Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimmers in swimming history. She hopes to have another successful Olympic season in Paris in 2024.
Katie Ledecky commented on her interpretation of the word success,
“Accomplishing my goals, and being really happy where I am at, and loving the sport.”