Katie Ledecky Eager to Continue to Raise Bar With Rivals
Internal motivation has always been a trademark of Katie Ledecky, widely considered the greatest female swimmer in history. The American star has routinely chased herself since emerging on the international scene as a 15-year-old at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. There, Ledecky captured the first Olympic title of her career, winning the 800-meter freestyle.
But in a recent interview with People Magazine, Ledecky indicated that she is eager to again clash with some of the world’s best in her sport. Ledecky spoke of the motivation provided by the excellence of her fellow competitors, and their combined efforts to take swimming to new levels.
“I love the competition. I love competing against the world’s best,” Ledecky told People. “It’s fun to race and I always look forward to those opportunities, so it’s been fun to see what other people can do. We’re always trying to set the bar higher and higher in the sport.”
Helping Ledecky raise that bar have been Australian ace Ariarne Titmus, the reigning Olympic champ in the 400 freestyle, and Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh. Recently, McIntosh became the No. 2 performer in history – behind Ledecky – in the 800 freestyle. McIntosh is also the world-record holder in the 400 individual medley and former standard holder in the 400 freestyle.
As the United States Olympic Trials in June approach, followed by the Olympic Games in Paris, Ledecky is preparing to compete at a fourth Games. She is the three-time defending champion in the 800 freestyle and won the inaugural women’s 1500 freestyle at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Ledecky also won gold in the 400 freestyle at the 2016 Games and took silver in that event in Tokyo.
