Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky, 29, is a four-time Olympian and world-renowned American competitive swimmer who has dominated the sport with her unprecedented blend of speed, endurance, and determination. Known for her freestyle prowess, Ledecky is the most decorated female Olympic and World Championship swimmer and the most decorated Team USA female Olympian in history across all sports.  Katie has earned 14 Olympic medals (9 gold), and 30 World Championship medals (23 gold). Her 18 individual world championship long-course meter titles are the most ever for any swimmer (male or female). She has broken World Records 17 times and American Records 44 times, and has been named the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee SportsWoman of the Year a record three times.  

 

At age 15, Katie qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games as the youngest member of the American athlete delegation, where she stunned the world by winning gold in the 800-meter freestyle, breaking the American Record and announcing her arrival on the world stage. Her academic rigor and competitive spirit led her to Stanford University, where she balanced an intensive training regimen with her dedication to education and community service. Ledecky majored in psychology with a minor in political science, was named the Academic All-American of the Year across all NCAA Division I sports and won the Al Masters Award as Stanford’s top scholar-athlete. Her 15 NCAA record-breaking swims and 8 NCAA event wins helped lead the Stanford women’s swim team to consecutive National titles.   

 

Since her breakthrough at the London Olympics, Ledecky’s swimming career has taken her around the world. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, she was the most successful female athlete from any country—clinching four gold medals and one silver while setting world records in both the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle events. Her gold-medal performances continued at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She is the only female swimmer ever to win the same event at four consecutive Olympic Games.  

 

Ledecky is a champion for STEM education and leadership programs for young people, and a businesswoman who has recently launched a signature line of swimsuits and equipment in conjunction with TYR Sport. She was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in both 2017 and 2022 and has been recognized as Female World Swimmer of the Year a record 5 times and USA Swimming’s Female Athlete of the Year an unmatched 10 times. In May 2024, Ledecky was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden, and in June 2025 Ledecky delivered the commencement address at her alma mater. Ledecky has authored a New York Times best-selling memoir, Just Add Water, which draws from journal entries to take readers behind the scenes of her historic journey. In May 2026, Ledecky was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters) at the 325th Commencement Ceremony of Yale University.  

 

Born in Washington, DC and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Katie currently resides in Gainesville, Florida. She is training in Coach Anthony Nesty’s University of Florida pro group, aiming to qualify for her fifth Olympic Games, in Los Angeles in 2028.