Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Katie Ledecky

How Katie Ledecky built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Katie Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer considered one of the greatest of all time. She holds world records in the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle, and formerly in the 400-meter freestyle. Ledecky has amassed nine Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship gold medals, the most for any female swimmer. She is the most decorated American woman and female swimmer in Olympic history. In addition to her Olympic success, she holds records for individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships and overall medals in women's swimming at both the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships, solidifying her legacy as a dominant force in the sport.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2012: Gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Katie Ledecky won the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:14.63, breaking Janet Evans' American record from 1989. She narrowly missed the world record set in 2008 by Rebecca Adlington.

2012: Training with Nation's Capital Swim Club

During the summer of 2012, Katie Ledecky trained with the Nation's Capital Swim Club under coach Yuri Suguiyama.

2012: Ledecky makes Olympic team at US Olympic trials

In 2012, at the United States Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Katie Ledecky made the Olympic team by placing first in the 800-meter freestyle.

2012: Ledecky wins gold at London Olympics

In 2012, at the age of 15, Katie Ledecky made her international debut at the London Olympic Games and unexpectedly won the gold medal in the women's 800-metre freestyle.

2013: Qualification for World Aquatics Championships

In 2013, Katie Ledecky qualified to swim in four individual events and the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona after finishing first in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle, and second in the 200-meter freestyle at the US National Championships.

2013: Wins at the 2013 World Championships

In 2013, at the World Championships, Katie Ledecky won gold in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle, and in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, setting two world records. She became the second woman to win the 400 through 1500-meter titles at a World Championships since Hannah Stockbauer in 2003.

2014: Victories at the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Katie Ledecky won five gold medals in the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle. She broke world records in the 400- and 1500-meter freestyles and became the first woman to win four individual gold medals at a single Pan Pacific Championship.

2014: Success at the 2014 US National Championships

At the 2014 US National Championships, Katie Ledecky finished first in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle and set a world record in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:58.86, becoming the first female since Janet Evans to simultaneously hold world records in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyles.

2014: Breaks world records at Woodlands Swim Team Senior Invitational

In June 2014, Katie Ledecky broke her own world records in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle at the Woodlands Swim Team Senior Invitational, recording times of 15:34.23 and 8:11.00 respectively.

2015: Five Gold Medals at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, Katie Ledecky won five gold medals in the 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyles and the 4×200-meter freestyle, breaking three world records. She became the first and only swimmer to win the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyles in a major competition and was named the female swimmer of the meet.

2015: Qualification for the 2015 World Aquatics Championships

Katie Ledecky's performance at the 2014 US National Championships secured her qualification for the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.

November 2016: Ohio State Invitational Records

In November 2016 at the Ohio State Invitational, Katie Ledecky lowered her American and U.S. Open marks in the women's 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle.

2016: NCAA Season Records

During the 2016-17 NCAA season, Katie Ledecky set 12 NCAA records and nine American records while swimming as a freshman for Stanford University.

2016: Ledecky becomes most decorated female athlete at Rio Olympics

In 2016, Katie Ledecky left Rio de Janeiro as the most decorated female athlete of the Olympic Games, with four gold medals, one silver medal, and two world records.

2016: World record at Arena Pro Swim Series

In 2016, at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Austin, Katie Ledecky reset her world record in the 800-meter freestyle, clocking a time of 8:06.68. She also set world-leading times in the 200- and 400-meter freestyles and a U.S.-leading time in the 100-meter freestyle.

2016: Silver medal in 4x100-meter freestyle relay at 2016 Summer Olympics

In 2016, at the Summer Olympics, Katie Ledecky swam the anchor leg for the United States in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, helping the team earn a silver medal with a time of 3:31.89, a new national record for the United States.

2016: Qualification for 2016 Olympic team at US Olympic trials

In 2016, at the United States Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Katie Ledecky won the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyles to qualify for her second Olympic team. She broke Janet Evans's 28-year-old national championship record in the 800-meter freestyle preliminary heats and was named the female swimmer of the meet.

2016: Training with Nation's Capital Swim Club through the 2016 Summer Olympics

Katie Ledecky continued to train with the Nation's Capital Swim Club under coach Bruce Gemmell through the 2016 Summer Olympics.

November 2017: Texas A&M Invitational Record

In November 2017, at the Texas A&M Invitational, Katie Ledecky lowered her American and U.S. Open mark in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:03.31.

2017: USA Swimming Championships Wins

At the 2017 USA Swimming Championships, Katie Ledecky won the 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, and 800-meter freestyle, earning a spot on six events.

2017: World Aquatics Championships Record

At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Katie Ledecky broke the all-time female gold medal record, winning five golds and one silver to bring her career title total to 14.

2017: NCAA Season Records

During the 2017-18 NCAA season, Katie Ledecky set another three NCAA records and two American records, helping lead Stanford to its second straight team title.

May 16, 2018: Professional Debut and World Record

On May 16, 2018, Katie Ledecky made her debut as a professional swimmer at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she beat her old world record in the 1500-meter freestyle, setting a new world record of 15:20.48, breaking the existing mark by five seconds.

June 8, 2018: Sponsorship Deal with TYR Sport, Inc.

On June 8, 2018, Katie Ledecky signed her first sponsorship deal with TYR Sport, Inc.

July 2018: USA Swimming Championships Qualification

In July 2018, at the 2018 USA Swimming Championships in Irvine, Katie Ledecky qualified for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships by finishing first in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle.

2018: Pan Pacific Championships Wins

At the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Katie Ledecky led all swimmers with three individual titles, winning golds in the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle. She also took bronze in the 200-meter freestyle and silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle.

2019: World Aquatics Championships Title

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Katie Ledecky battled illness and withdrew from two events before winning her fourth-straight World Championship title in the 800-meter freestyle.

2020: Ledecky becomes most decorated U.S. female athlete at 2020 Olympic Games

At the 2020 Olympic Games, Katie Ledecky emerged as the most decorated U.S. female athlete and became the first American female swimmer to win an individual event in three straight Olympiads.

2020: TYR Pro Swim Series Wins

Katie Ledecky began 2020 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, where she won the 200-, 400- and 1500-meter freestyle races. She withdrew from the 800-meter freestyle race due to illness and did not compete at any other events during 2020.

May 20, 2021: Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite Win

On May 20, 2021, at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite, Katie Ledecky won the long course 100 meter freestyle final by one one-hundredth of a second in a time of 53.82, with second place going to Simone Manuel.

June 14, 2021: Olympic Team Qualification

On June 14, 2021, Katie Ledecky competed in the prelims and finals of the 400 meter freestyle at the Olympic Trials. She finished first in the evening final with a time of 4:01.27, securing her spot on her third US Olympic Team, swimming the 400 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

June 2021: Olympic Trials Feature

During the NBC evening telecast for day one of the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic trials (postponed to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Katie Ledecky was featured in an interview discussing Stanford University's commencement, finishing her college degree, and training for the Olympic Trials.

June 18, 2021: Olympic Trials Qualification

On June 18, 2021, Katie Ledecky won the prelims heats of the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:16.61 and advanced to the final.

2021: Tokyo Olympics Wins

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, which occurred in 2021, Katie Ledecky won two gold medals and two silver medals, making her the most decorated U.S. female athlete for a second straight Summer Olympics.

2021: TYR Pro Swim Series Wins

Katie Ledecky began 2021 at the TYR Pro Swim Series at San Antonio, Texas. She won the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle races.

2022: USA Swimming Championships Wins

At the 2022 USA Swimming Championships in Irvine, Katie Ledecky won three gold medals by finishing first in the 200-meter freestyle, the 800-meter freestyle, and the 400-meter individual medley.

2022: USA Swimming International Team Trials Qualification

At the 2022 USA Swimming International Team Trials in Greensboro, Katie Ledecky qualified for the 2022 World Aquatics Championships by finishing first in the 200-meter freestyle, the 400-meter freestyle, the 800-meter freestyle and the 1500-meter freestyle.

2023: USA Swimming Championships Wins

At the 2023 USA Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Katie Ledecky won three gold medals (400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle) and a silver medal (200-meter freestyle).

2023: World Aquatics Championships Golds

At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Katie Ledecky won two gold medals and two silver medals. Her 16th career individual gold medal surpassed Michael Phelps for most individual gold medals at the world championships.

2023: Ledecky wins sixth World Championship gold medal

In 2023, Katie Ledecky won gold in the 800 meter World Championship, becoming the first swimmer—male or female—to win six World Championship gold medals in the same event.

2024: Summer Olympics Medals

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Katie Ledecky finished third in the 400-metre freestyle. Ledecky later defended her title in the 1500 metre freestyle event, setting the new Olympic record with a time of 15:30:02. She won her fourth consecutive gold medal and eighth individual gold in the 800 metre freestyle and won a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

2024: US Olympic Trials Wins

At the 2024 US Olympic trials, Katie Ledecky qualified for her fourth Olympics. She finished in first place in four events: 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle, and 1500-meter freestyle.