"What really matters is were they training clean?" - Katie Ledecky frustrated over Chinese swimmer being allowed to compete at Paris Olympics

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 24, 2024 17:00 GMT

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky recently commented on the Chinese doping scandal ahead of the Paris Olympics. This comes just a few days before the start of the 33rd edition of the games in the French capital.

Reports emerged a few months ago that more than 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for doping prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, the swimmers were allowed to participate in Tokyo and a few won medals as well. Some of these 23 swimmers will also compete in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

This led to more enhanced security measures in Paris with even tougher guidelines for the Chinese swimmers. According to reports, the Chinese swimmers were tested around 200 times in their last 10 days of stay in Paris.

Against the backdrop of this doping scandal, Katie Ledecky, one of the medal hopefuls for the United States in Paris, shared her opinion regarding the Chinese swimmers during a press conference ahead of the Paris Olympics. She emphasized the need for clean competition during the Olympics and also expressed her frustration over the Chinese doping scandal. Ledecky stated:

“I hope everybody here is competing clean, but what really matters is, were they training clean?”

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Katie Ledecky on being consistent for more than a decade

Ledecky during the US Olympics Swimming Trials (Image via: Getty Images)

Consistency is one of the terms often associated with Katie Ledecky. Her record-breaking performances in the Olympics and World Championships over the past decade are a testament to this.

The 27-year-old recently elaborated on her mindset for staying competitive and consistent even after a decade-long career. In an interview with NBC4 Washington, Ledecky stated:

“I pride myself on that consistency. I challenge myself to stay consistent. Yeah, I mean sometimes it can be tough feeling like you’re not having a breakthrough. But to be really consistent is something I’m really happy with."

Ledecky will compete at the fourth Olympics of her career in Paris. She qualified for the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events courtesy of her performances at the US Olympic Swimming Trials held last month. Ledecky is also a part of the 4x200m US relay team in Paris.