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In the past decade or so, Katie Ledecky has proven herself to be one of the best swimmers in the world. Since her epic performance in the finals of the 800-meter freestyle event at the 2012 London Olympics, Ledecky's career has seen an upward trajectory. The American swimmer has won medals, broken world records, and claimed a number of awards.
Meanwhile, Kate Douglass, another young American swimmer from New York, has impressed fans and competitors alike in recent times. Since the Tokyo Olympics, Douglass has displayed a massive improvement in her swimming techniques.
Thus, the question remains, between Katie Ledecky and the young Kate Douglass, who had a better 2022?
Katie Ledecky's 2022 explored
Katie Ledecky moved to Florida to train with her coach Antony Nesty at the University of Florida after the Tokyo Olympics last year. She also signed up as a volunteer assistant coach for the Florida Gators.
Furthermore, the Washington-born swimmer competed in the 400-meter freestyle, 1500-meter freestyle, 4x200-meter freestyle relay, and 800-meter freestyle events at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest between June 18 and 25.
Ledecky competed in the 400-meter freestyle heats on the opening day of the competition and finished first in the overall rankings with a time of 3:59.79. In the 400-meter finals, she started in lane four before emerging victorious with a championship record time of 3:58.15.
In the 1500-meter freestyle heats, she once again outperformed her fellow competitors to finish first in the overall rankings. In the finals held on June 20, Katie Ledecky won her second gold medal at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships with a time of 15:30.15.
Ledecky's time of 15:30.15 was seven seconds faster than her gold medal-winning time in the 1500-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics. On day five of the World Aquatics Championships, she and her teammates Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith, Alexandra Walsh, Hali Flickinger, and Bella Sims represented Team USA in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
Ledecky's split of 1:53.67 in the finals was the third fastest in history, as team USA clinched the gold medal with a time of 7:41.45 followed by Australia and Canada in second and third positions.
Katie Ledecky's final event at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest was the 800-meter freestyle event, where she clocked a time of 8:08.04 to take gold, her fourth at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
At the FINA Swimming World Cup, Ledecky competed in the 1500-meter (short course) during the Toronto leg. In the 1500-meter finals, she emerged victorious with a world record time of 15:08.24. Then, during the Indianapolis leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup, she broke another world record by clocking a time of 7:57.42 on her path to victory in the 800-meter freestyle (short course).
To complete an amazing year, she also claimed several awards. She won the Swimming World's American Swimmer of the Year Award and was ranked the number one women's swimmer of the year in 2022 by SwimSwam. Ledecky was also awarded the Golden Goggle Female Athlete of the Year for 2022.
At Golden Goggles, Ledecky claimed another award. She won the Golden Goggle Female Race of the Year award. Katie Ledecky was adjudged the best female athlete and best female Olympian at the 2022 ESPY Awards. Yesterday, she was named the 2022 Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
Kate Douglass 2022 explored
Kate Douglass, too, had a solid run in 2022. She competed in the 2022 ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and lifted titles in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, and 100-yard butterfly events. Douglass was also a member of Virginia's 200 freestyle, 200 medley, and 400 medley relay teams that broke the NCAA, US Open, and American records.
Douglass contributed 96 individual points to help Virginia win their third ACC team championship. The New York-born swimmer competed in the 2022 NCAA Championships in Atlanta and clinched seven titles. She finished first in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, and 200-meter breaststroke events.
Douglass and her teammates secured a first-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle relay, 200-meter medley relay, 400-meter freestyle relay, and 400-meter medley relay events. Her contribution was crucial in helping Virginia win their second NCAA team title.
At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Douglass won bronze medals in the 200-meter breaststroke, 4x100-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter mixed freestyle events. She clocked a time of 2:23.20 to win bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke. Douglass swam in the heats of the 4x100-meter mixed freestyle and helped Team USA (third place) reach the finals, to be awarded a bronze medal.
Kate Douglass also performed exceptionally well at the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (Short Course) in Melbourne, claiming seven medals. The New York-born swimmer won gold in the 200-meter individual medley when she clocked a time of 2:02.12. This was her first gold medal in international competitions.
She won another gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke after completing the event with a time of 2:15.77, which was also a championship record. Her remaining three gold medals came in the 4x50-meter mixed medley, 4x50-meter medley, 4x50-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter medley events.
Kate Douglass, along with her teammates, helped Team USA claim two silver medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle and 4x50-meter medley event.
She was awarded the 2022 Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving. The award is to honor the top female athletes in each Division I NCAA sport.
Comparison of Katie Ledecky and Kate Douglass's 2022
In international competitions, Katie Ledecky clinched four gold medals in 2022 and claimed two final victories at the FINA Swimming World Cup, while Kate Douglass won a staggering ten medals.
In terms of the number of awards won, Ledecky won the Swimming World's American Swimmer of the Year Award, the Golden Goggle Female Athlete of the Year, the Golden Goggle Female Race of the Year award, the Best Female Athlete and Best Female Olympian award at the 2022 ESPY Awards, and the 2022 Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
Kate Douglass, meanwhile, claimed the 2022 Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving. Katie Ledecky had a sensational year, winning numerous awards. But Douglass also had a great year with her ten medals at the World Championships. Thus, both swimmers tasted success in various ways.
In 2023, fans can expect the two swimmers to once again display stellar performances while setting new records as they did this year.
