"Something I never would have imagined" - When Katie Ledecky opened up on competing in her third Olympic Games

Following her Tokyo Olympic appearance, Katie Ledecky reflected on her swimming career, stating she never contemplated competing in three editions of the Olympics when she started her journey. After receiving inspiration from her mother, Mary Gen, who was a former collegiate swimmer, Ledecky began her journey towards her passion at six.

Ledecky went on to break multiple American records and competed at her first Olympics during the 2012 London edition at the age of 15, where she secured her first Olympic gold medal in 800m freestyle. Four years later, she competed at the 2016 Rio Games and dominated four events, including major freestyle events. Ledecky continued her legacy and earned a spot on the national team to appear at her third consecutive Olympic Games.

The American household name again dominated two freestyle events. In an interview with CNN.com following her third Games appearance, Ledecky expressed her pride in her victorious run in Tokyo and stated her disbelief in competing at her third Olympics:

“(The medals) just represent a lot of hard work, not just for me, but for my family, my friends, my coaches, my teammates, just everyone that’s been a part of this journey, not just the past five years, but my whole swimming career."

Ledecky added:

“And it’s an amazing feeling to be bringing home two golds and two silvers here and competing in my third Olympics. That’s something I never would have imagined when I first started swimming.”

Katie Ledecky solidified her legacy at the 2024 Paris Games by winning two gold, one silver, and a bronze medal.

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Katie Ledecky makes her feelings known after shattering the 800m freestyle world record at the TYR Pro Swim Series

Katie Ledecky at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series at Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center in Florida. (Photo by Getty Images)

Katie Ledecky recently expressed her joy after breaking the women's 800m freestyle event's world record at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series held from Wednesday, April 30 to Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center in Florida. She recorded a time of 8:04.12 to achieve this record-breaking feat. Following this victory, Ledecky expressed gratitude towards her team.

"Enjoy the process and things happen 📈 Thankful for this journey, this sport, my team, and all of the support ❤️ Now back to work 😎🏊🏻‍♀️"

To achieve this new record, Katie Ledecky surpassed her previous time of 8:04.79, which she posted at the 2016 Rio Games.