How many times has Katie Ledecky broken the world record? A look into performances of American swimmer as she gears up for Paris Olympics

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 16, 2024 16:24 GMT

In the current era of the swimming circuit, there are very few names who can boast of a dominant impact similar to that of Katie Ledecky. Across her illustrious career, the 27-year-old has not only scripted numerous staggering performances but has also broken the monumental world record 14 times.

Ledecky's first major world record-breaking performance came in 2013 at the tender age of 16. The Maryland native registered a time of 15:36.53 in the Women's 1500m freestyle at the World Championships 2013 in Barcelona. At the same event, Ledecky showed her mettle in the Women's 800m freestyle, registering a time of 8:13.86.

Besides the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle, Ledecky also extended her dominance in the 400m freestyle. She smashed the world record in the event with a registered time of 3:58.86 during the 2014 edition of the National Championships in Irvine.

The 2016 Rio Olympics was one of the most memorable performances for Ledekcy. During the event, she not only clinched four Olympic gold medals but also shattered two world records. Firstly in the 400m freestyle, she broke the world record for the third time in her career (3:56.46) and then went on to break the 800m freestyle world record for the fifth time in her career (8:04.79, which still stands).

Two years later Katie Ledecky's performance again saw the world record tumble for the sixth time in the 1500m freestyle event after her majestic performance in the TYR Pro Swim Series, Indiana. Her registered time of 15:20.48 still stands to date.

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All you need to know about Katie Ledecky's dominant run in 2024

Katie Ledecky at the Trials in Indiana (Image Via: Getty Images)

Katie Ledecky has been in superb form ever since the start of this Olympics year. She started off her season in January at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville and then followed up with the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio. Across the two meets, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist clinched five gold medals along with a silver.

Following this, Ledecky also performed superbly at the US Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis and solidified her name in four events namely 4x200m freestyle relay, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 1500m freestyle.

She convincingly defeated some of the most talented American swimmers such as Paige Madden and Cox Jillian across the tournament in Indiana as she raced towards the fourth Olympics of her career. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist will also enter the mega event as the Team USA captain for the first time.