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Swimming

Katie Ledecky could win 5 golds at a single Olympics and create history

Katie Ledecky will be participating in 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m individual freestyle and 4*200m relay at the Tokyo Olympics

American swimmer Katie Ledecky
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Katie Ledecky could become the first American woman to win 5 Olympic golds at a single Olympics (Source: Getty Images/2016)

By

Naveed Mohammed

Updated: 23 Jun 2021 5:31 AM GMT


Katie Ledecky was just 15 years old when she made the US swim team for the 2012 London Olympics. But, in an Olympics where Michael Phelps drew the headlines, Ledecky shocked the Swimming world by bagging gold in London's 800m freestyle event. At the age of 15 years and 139 days, she became the second-youngest American to win individual gold at the Olympics, next only to Beth Botsford, who won the 100m backstroke at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics aged 15 years and 62 days. Ledecky, already considered amongst the most outstanding female swimmers to ever come off the diving platform, is the current World record holder of women's 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle. Ledecky, with five Olympic golds and 15 World Championship titles under her belt, is the most decorated female swimmer of all time. Calling Katie' Michael Phelps of female swimmers' might be unjust as she has made a name for herself in the world of competitive swimming. Ledecky won the 800m freestyle event at the 2016 Rio Olympics by a whopping 11.38 seconds, earning her the 'doing a Ledecky' reference for wins by huge margins in the swimming world.
Ledecky looks set to compete in 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m individual freestyle, and the 4*200m freestyle relay for Team USA in Tokyo. She has the chance to become the first American woman to win five gold medals at a single Olympics in all sports. Simone Biles also has an opportunity to achieve this monumental feat but might miss out on becoming the first ever to do it as Gymnastic events wrap up later into the Olympic schedule.
Ledecky faces tough competition from Ariarne Titmus of Australia in 200m and 400m freestyle, where Titmus is ranked higher than Ledecky in world rankings. Long-distance freestyle records historically have gone to young swimmers; if Ledecky wants to emulate the phenomenal Olympics medal tally of Michael Phelps, she needs to maintain her form through Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. "I think I still have a lot in me. I think I'm very experienced swimming in those events. I think I know how to manage my races and manage my energy." she said when asked if the multiple events are too much to handle.
With its elite swimming programmes, the USA has created an enormous talent pool; a recent addition to the collection is 'The next Katie Ledecky', Katie Grimes. Grimes qualified for Tokyo Olympics nearly 6 seconds behind Ledecky in the 800m freestyle event at the US Olympic trials. Coincidentally, 800m is the event that put Ledecky in the spotlight. Fingers crossed, we may have a new superstar in the making.
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