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For the eighth time, Katie Ledecky won the U.S. Female Swimmer of the Year award in 2022 after regaining her greatest form and winning four gold medals at the World Championships.
The American women's team had a strong year, as evidenced by the fact that five different swimmers brought home individual titles at the World Championships in Budapest. Ledecky, who won the 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events to win the women's distance triple, was the only competitor to claim multiple titles.
Katie Ledecky's glorious 2022
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky put on a tremendous showing in 2022. She named several medals under her belt. Be it taking sporting revenge from Summer McIntosh or clocking her personal best of 4:35.77 in the 400-meter medley at the 2022 US National Championships.
Ledecky's performance significantly improved in 2022. Even though she won two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, many people thought she had passed her prime because her times, particularly in the 800 and 1500, were substantially slower than they had been in the past.
The 25-year-old won the 400 IM, an event we seldom see her win, to claim her third victory at the 2022 US National Championships. In addition to winning the 400 IM, she also improved upon her previous best time of 4:38.16 to run 4:35.77.
At the FINA Swimming World Cup in Toronto, Katie Ledecky smashed her second world record in as many days in the women's short-course 800-meter freestyle. The 10-time Olympian beat the previous mark set in 2013 by Mireia Belmonte of Spain by over two seconds as she crossed the finish line in 7:57.42.
Later on October 29, American Ledecky broke the women's short-course world record for the 1500-meter freestyle by over 10 seconds. Sarah Wellbrock of Germany had previously held the mark. She took the lead right away and finished first to win gold in a time of 15:08.24, finishing more than 40 seconds ahead of Brazil's Beatriz Dizotti (15:48.82).
By winning the women's 4200-meter freestyle relay with her teammates Claire Weinstein, Smith, and Bella Sims, Katie Ledecky earned her 18th gold medal at the Budapest World Championships. Their time of 7:41.45 set a new record for the event.
Ledecky benefited from the absence of Australia's Ariarne Titmus at the Budapest World Championships in 2022. She triumphed with ease after setting a new championship record of 3:58.15. This was her fourth gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle.
A closer look at Ledecky's medal tally in 2022
Katie Ledecky competed first in the Phillips 66 National Championships and then in the FINA Swimming World Cup 2022. She won a total of seven medals this year, out of which four are gold and three are silver.
FINA Swimming World Cup 2022
- Women 200 Freestyle - Silver
- Women 400 Freestyle - Silver
- Women 800 Freestyle - Gold
- Women 1500 Freestyle - Gold
Phillips 66 National Championships (50m) 2022
- Women 400 Medley - Gold
- Women 4x100 Freestyle Relay - Gold
- Women 4x200 Freestyle Relay - Silver
What to expect from Katie Ledecky in 2023
However, Ledecky showed this year that she is here to stay. She is just one individual world title short of Phelps' record of 15. She will be looking to achieve this feat in 2023. If Australian opponent Ariarne Titmus competes in the global championships in Japan in July after skipping them this year to concentrate on the Commonwealth Games, the competition may be more intense. Summer McIntosh, a 16-year-old rising Canadian, is now a danger in the 400-meter freestyle.
