"Is Katie Ledecky transgender?" trends online after American surpasses Michael Phelps: Here's why it is insensitive and demeaning to the American 

There has been a considerable amount of talk about Katie Ledecky being a transgender athlete. The question, however, is a pointless one as she has never alluded to anything remotely close to the topic of discussion.

Ledecky has been in very good form recently, winning four medals at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship. She even surpassed Michael Phelps's record of winning the most individual gold medal at the event. However, on the back of her resounding achievements came rumors about her gender.

An LGBTQ researcher recently took to social media to show that the search listings on Google were boosted by articles that falsely accuse Ledecky of being a transgender athlete.

The topic of transgender athletes taking part in female sports, especially in America, has been a hotly debated one thanks to Lia Thompson, a transgender swimmer who has achieved success while competing against female athletes.

While Thompson has said that she is a transgender athlete, Ledecky has never stated anything of that sort. Anyone accusing the 26-year-old of being a transperson is doing a massive disservice to her athletic prowess and achievements.

---

Katie Ledecky becomes first athlete to win five world titles across two different categories

Katie Ledecky at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship.

Katie Ledecky won two gold medals 2023 World Aquatics Championship, in the women's 800m freestyle and the women's 1500m freestyle. She also won two silver medals in the women's 400m freestyle and women's 4x200m freestyle.

In all, she has won 16 individual gold medals at the championships, overtaking Michael Phelp for the most individual gold medals won at the event.

Ledecky also became the first athlete to win five world titles each in two different categories at the event: 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle.

On July 29, 2023, the 26-year-old clinched gold in the women's 800m freestyle with a time of 8:08.87. This was her sixth triumph in the category at the championships, after 2013 (Barcelona), 2015 (Kazan), 2017 (Budapest), (Gwangju), and 2022 (Budapest).

Four days before that, on July 25, Ledecky won a gold medal in women's 1500m freestyle, adding to her gold medals in the category from 2013 (Barcelona), 2015 (Kazan), 2017 (Budapest), and 2022 (Budapest).

In doing so, she became the first athlete in World Aquatics Championship history to win at least five titles in two different categories.