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The American swimming icon Katie Ledecky put on a show during the recently concluded US Olympic Swimming Trials in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, to qualify for her fourth successive Olympics. Ledecky has qualified for four disciplines and became the first female swimmer to clinch four Olympic spots in a single trials event.
Ledecky is set to participate in the 400m freestyle (3:58.35), 800m freestyle (8:14.12), 1500m freestyle (15:37.35), and 4x200m relay events. She is looked up to as one of the foremost contenders to win multiple golds at the Paris Olympics set to kick off on July 26.
Katie Ledecky has been one of the most consistent performers for the USA, winning seven Olympic golds and three silvers. In addition to that, she has also amassed 21 golds and five silvers at the world championships.
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That said, let us dive in and have a look at the top 5 swimming performances of Katie Ledecky over the years:
#1 Katie Ledecky during 800m freestyle finals at the 2012 London Olympic Games
Katie Ledecky participated in her maiden Olympics in London at the tender age of 15. Further, no one expected the kind of swimming display she put on at the 2012 event, winning the 800-meter freestyle final.
She shocked the world after conquering Mireia Belmonte of Spain and Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain to win her first Olympic gold with a time of 8:14.63. The 27-year-old also broke the American record of 8:16.22 held by Janet Evans at the time.
#2 1500m freestyle at 2013 World Championships
Her 2012 London Olympic triumph was followed by another commanding performance at the 2013 World Championships, where she won four titles.
1500m freestyle was the event that witnessed Ledecky breaking her compatriot Kate Ziegler's world record to win the title in a time of 15:36.53. This was six seconds less than Ziegler's record.
#3 800m freestyle at 2013 World Championships
1500m wasn't the only event that witnessed Katie Ledecky's record-breaking performance; she went on to break another world record in the 800m freestyle to win another title.
The 800-meter freestyle marked her fourth title victory in a single world championship event. She broke Rebecca Adlington's then-world record of 8:14.10 and clinched the title in 8:13.86.
#4 1500m freestyle at 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Katie Ledecky is considered the most dominant freestyle swimmer in the world. Her gold medal victory at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held significance as it was the first time that the women's 1500m, an event longer than 800 meters, was added to the Olympics.
The Washington D.C.-born athlete became the first female swimmer to win an Olympic gold in the 1500m freestyle. She finished the final in 15:37.34 on top spot and it was her sixth Olympic gold at the time.
#5 1500m and 800m freestyle at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Katie Ledecky had already achieved veteran status at the 2023 World Championships, and she performed as per her reputation to win four medals at the competition.
It was the 1500m freestyle and 800m freestyle events where she collected her 15th and 16th world championship golds to become the most decorated female swimmer in the world.
