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Legendary US swimmer Katie Ledecky has a history of changing bases during every Olympic cycle. So, it was not that shocking when, in September last year, she announced she would be moving to Florida after her medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics.
But to everyone's surprise, she asked fellow multiple Olympic champion Caeleb Dressel, who trains in Florida, for permission to relocate there.
In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Dressel spoke about the text Ledecky had sent him and appreciated her humility. He said:
"She asked me if that was okay. That was a funny thing really she goes ‘I hope that’s okay’ and I was like hell yeah it’s okay like of course like what am I gonna say no like no you can’t this is my town no, but yeah I thought it was a like funniest, nicest, most humble thing was she asked permission."
With her eyes set on the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky started training under Anthony Nesty in Florida last year. She was also set to be a volunteer assistant swimming coach at the university.
The University of Florida boasts the likes of some brilliant distance swimmers like Bobby Finke and Kieran Smith, who bagged medals in Tokyo, and of course Caeleb Dressel, who trains in the post-graduate lot and also trains with Nesty.
Ledecky believed that training with this envious group of world-class swimmers will provide her with the right kind of push she needs in her Olympic preparation. Speaking to USA Today in a telephonic interview, she said:
"I’ll be able to do that very consistently down in Florida with athletes who have similar goals that I do to compete on the international level in those events. They have a very deep group of male distance and mid-distance swimmers and I’m really excited about that."
Katie Ledecky previously had the chance to train with swimmers practicing in Florida and found the experience very helpful.
"I had the opportunity to swim with them a little bit in the training camps between (the U.S. Olympic) trials and the Games and felt like that really helped me in many ways just having the opportunity to race in practice against those guys," she said. "Hopefully we can continue to compete at that high level and push each other to get better in and out of the pool."
With a laugh, she talked about what she could bring in at the practice sessions.
"I hope that I can push them. I don’t know, I don’t take that for granted. At the very least, I hope I can add to the energy around that group and what we can do in practice together."
Why did Katie Ledecky move to Florida?
Katie Ledecky competed in all three Olympic Games with a different coach each time as she believes that each Olympic cycle should be different. So, her decision to shift bases to Florida wasn't an unexpected shock.
Speaking to Sports Rational about the same, she said:
"I think each [Olympic] cycle feels different. Different circumstances, different approach. I kind of like it that way, though. You don’t want to go eight or nine years with everything the same."
Before the move, Katie Ledecky trained at Stanford University under coach Greg Meehan. She had enrolled there as a student days after the 2016 Rio Olympics. Katie represented the university at NCAA tournaments, becoming an eight-time NCAA champion. She completed her Bachelors of Arts degree in Pyschology last year.
In September last year, Ledecky took to social media to announce the shift and thank her coach and friends in California.
Her new coach Anthony Nesty was nothing but praises for this phenomenal swimmer, and added that she could be impactful to the student-athletes at the university. Nesty said:
"The knowledge and experience that Katie brings to the pool are unparalleled. In addition to her obvious excellence as a swimmer, Katie is an exceptional person who will make a great impact on the student-athletes here. Katie’s values are in total alignment with the Florida program, and we’re so excited to have her join the Gators as she continues to train for the 2024 Olympics."
Katie Ledecky's decision to move from the West Coast was influenced by a desire to be closer to her family in the Washington, DC area. Speaking about it with USA Today, she said:
"I wanted to be closer to family, be a lot closer, so I was just looking at where I could do that on the East Coast and also have a really great training environment. I felt like this was a really great opportunity."
Katie Ledecky is hands-down one of the greatest swimmers in history. With three gold medals already under her belt, her fourth in Paris will be eagerly anticipated.
