Ledecky collected her ninth career gold medal on Saturday, the most ever by a woman
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, where a handful of athletes are staking claims as the greatest of all time in their respective sports, no one’s case is stronger than that of Katie Ledecky. The 27-year-old swimming superstar added another handful of lines to her hall of fame resume by winning her fourth straight gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle and establishing or extending a series of all-time records.
Ledecky on Saturday became the first woman, fifth American and seventh athlete in Olympic history to win four gold medals in the same event. This gold came exactly 12 years to the day after her first in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 London Games.
Ledecky finished in 8:11.04, good for a second-plus edge on Australian rival Ariarne Titmus and U.S. teammate Paige Madden. It was Ledecky’s fourth overall and second gold medal in these games after she won the 1,500-meter freestyle, took silver on the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team and grabbed bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.
Her nine career gold medals are the most ever by a female swimmer, as are her 14 overall medals. She’s four shy of the standard of 18 medals by a woman in any sport, leaving her with a chance to chase the record on home soil at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Ledecky, who holds both Olympic and world records in both the 800m and 1500m, began her climb to the G.O.A.T. level with the single gold medal in London and truly broke out in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, where she won individual gold in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles and swam legs on the U.S. 4×200-meter (gold) and 4×100-meter (silver) relay teams.
She transitioned to longer distance in the 2020 Games in Tokyo, again winning gold across 800 meters and earning the 1,500-meter gold. She skidded to fifth in the 200-meter freestyle but grabbed silver in both the 400 meters and the 4×200-meter relay.
A Presidential Medal of Freedom arrived earlier this year, too. And, if she has her way, it won’t be the last addition to the trophy case.
“I take things year by year, but right now, I definitely could see myself competing in 2028, with it being a home Olympics,” she told NPR. “It’s something that’s very unique. It’s something that not every Olympic athlete gets. And so, I definitely know I’m not retiring after this summer and 2028 is very appealing.
