Katie Ledecky swims into history during theWhen you think of the nickname, “The Greatest of All Time,” you may think of a few different athletes. You could think about the powerful Simone Biles, the iconic Micheal Jordan or even the diligent Tom Brady. All of these athletes that come to mind are well deserving of their title because of their accomplishments and hard work. One more athlete that should be added to this list, however, is the American female swimmer, Katie Ledecky.
After the 2024 Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky officially became the record holder for the fastest twenty miles ever swam by a woman. This summer, Ledecky swam her mile in 15 minutes, 30.15 seconds, advancing her to hold the top 20 fastest mile times. To put this in perspective, Ledecky holds the Olympic record, World Junior record and World record for the 1500M race. Ledecky’s times range from her fastest time, 15 minutes, 20.48 second, to the 20th fastest time in the world, which is also her 20th fastest mile, 15 minutes, 38.81 seconds. The next highest ranked time in history was set by Lotte Friis of Denmark, as she swam the mile race in 2009 and completed it in 15 minutes, 38.88 seconds. Defending one record by itself is incredibly hard, so we can imagine how accomplished Ledecky must feel after defending the top 20 times as well as all of her records.
Not only has Ledecky made history by having run the top 20 times for the 1500-meter race, but she also became the most decorated female U.S. Olympian. With a total of 14 Olympic medals. Leckedy has nine gold, four silver and one bronze medal.
Even still, Ledecky still is not done. She has come a long way from being a 15-year-old at her first Olympics, but she will also continue to grow and improve. Ledecky is currently training at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida with one of the top swimming programs in the country. After leaving the Paris Olympics this year, Ledecky commented on how she is already preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. One thing that is certain is how Ledecky will continue to show the world what a powerhouse of a swimmer she is.
