27-year-old American female swimmer Katie Ledecky has created a new history by winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. This is Katie’s ninth gold medal in the Olympics. She has equalled Larisa Latynina’s record.
Playing for the Soviet Union in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, Larisa won 9 gold medals in gymnastics. As for Ledecky, she has won 14 medals (9 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze) including 9 golds in her Olympic journey since 2012, surpassing famous swimmers like Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
Katie is only the second swimmer after Michael Phelps to win a gold medal in the same event at four Olympics. She won the gold medal in the 800m women’s freestyle event at the 2012 London Olympics. Katie has continued her dominance by winning gold medals at the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics. At the Paris Olympics, Katie won gold medals in the 800 and 1500 m freestyle, silver in the 4×200 freestyle, and bronze in the 400 m freestyle.
Only Michael Phelps (28 medals, including 23 golds) has won more medals in swimming than Katy in Olympic history. American male swimmers Mark Spitz and Caleb Dressel have also won the same number of 9 gold medals as Ledecky in Olympic swimming events. However, their number of medals is less than that of American women swimmers. Spitz has won 11 medals while Dressel has won 10.
After winning so many medals in the Olympics and crossing the age of 25, any swimmer feels tired but Katy is made of different stuff. She will enter the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA, aiming to increase her medal tally further. Before the Paris Olympics, Katie said, “It is a special opportunity to participate in the Olympics in my own country. This time I am definitely thinking of participating in the 2028 Olympics. Even if I take part in the relay event, I want to do so.”
August 3 is a very important date in Katie’s life. On the same date at the 2012 London Olympics, she won the women’s 800m freestyle event and went on to win an Olympic gold medal. When she competed at the London Olympics at the age of just 15, no one expected a medal, but she surprised everyone and won the gold medal. Incidentally, he won his ninth gold medal at the same event in Paris on 3 August 2024. Not only this but in the 2016 Rio Olympics, she held 6 world records in the 400m and 800m freestyle events.
