What Katie Ledecky revealed about her future plans after hitting 30 career World Championship medals at 2025 Worlds

American swimmer Katie Ledecky made her feelings known about her plans after the 2025 World Aquatic Championships in Singapore. This comes just after her 800m freestyle victory on Saturday, which she achieved after clocking a Championships record run time (8:05.62) and was notably her 30th career medal in this competition.

Ledecky defeated one of the most successful swimmers from the competition so far in Summer McIntosh and young Australian talent, Lani Pallister, in the final. The 28-year-old concluded her campaign in Singapore with this 800m free race, and she finished with four medals, including two gold in 1500m free and 800m free, a bronze in the 400m free, and a silver in Women's 4x200m free relay.

Speaking after her race on Saturday, Ledecky added that she was looking forward to taking a break for a while before gearing up for her upcoming endeavors, and also mentioned that she has a lot more to do in her career. She said:

"You don’t want to push it too early. … I was just putting everything I had into it. I’m going to try to take a breather now and reset and get back to work. Because I’ve got a lot of work to do."

Ledecky further expressed her happiness and also revealed that the last 100m race during the final was a bit stressful for her. She said (via Peacock):

"I was really happy, obviously. The fastest I’ve ever been at a worlds. It’s been a really great season. That last 100 was pretty stressful."

With this victory, Katie Ledecky handed McIntosh her first defeat of the competition. Before this race, the Canadian had already bagged three victories in Singapore.

Katie Ledecky heaped praise on her opponents after clinching the 800m free gold

Katie Ledecky (Image via: Getty)

Katie Ledecky shared her thoughts on her opponents after winning the 800m freestyle race. Notably, Summer McIntosh and Lani Pallister also clocked impressive times of under 8.10 during the race.

Ledecky shared that the 800m free final was immensely fast, with all three swimmers on the podium clocking such times. Additionally, she also hyped them up, stating that they gave her a tough fight. Ledecky said (via The Independent):

"That’s pretty incredible, three of us going under 8:10 ... incredibly fast. They pushed me all the way. I don't think I have anything to lose at this point of my career."

During the conversation, Ledecky also remarked that most of the swimmers in the race were from the upcoming generation and shared her gratitude at competing against these talented young athletes.