Olympics
Katie Ledecky equals record for most Gold Medals by a female Olympian
Katie Ledecky ties the record for most gold medals by a female Olympian, winning the 800m freestyle at the Paris Games and securing her ninth Olympic gold.
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Katie Ledecky (Photo credit: BBC)
American swimming superstar Katie Ledecky has made history at the Paris Games by equalling the record for the most gold medals won by a female Olympian.
Ledecky secured her fourth consecutive gold in the 800m freestyle, clocking a remarkable time of eight minutes and 11.04 seconds.
With this victory, Ledecky joins an elite group, becoming the only woman—and only swimmer aside from the legendary Michael Phelps—to win four Olympic golds in the same event.
This latest triumph also brings her total Olympic gold medal count to nine, tying her with former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Overall, Ledecky now boasts 14 Olympic medals.
Michael Phelps continues to hold the record for the most Olympic medals by any athlete, with an impressive tally of 28, including 23 golds.
Ledecky’s performance in Paris has been nothing short of stellar, adding four medals to her collection: two golds, one silver, and one bronze.
She became the most decorated female Olympian from the United States with a silver medal in the women's 4x200m relay on Thursday.
Demonstrating her dominance in the 800m freestyle, Ledecky has maintained an almost unbroken winning streak over the distance for 13 years, with her sole defeat coming earlier in 2024 to rising star Summer McIntosh at a regional meet. McIntosh chose not to compete in the 800m in Paris, leaving Ledecky’s primary competition to be her long-time rival, Australia's Ariarne Titmus.
Ledecky's Olympic success began at the London 2012 Games, where she won her first gold medal in the 800m freestyle.
Her success continued at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she claimed four gold medals in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle relay, along with a silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
In Tokyo 2020, she added two more golds in the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle, and two silvers in the 400m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay.
At the Paris 2024 Games, Ledecky secured golds in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, a silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay, and a bronze in the 400m freestyle.