Katie Ledecky is the most decorated US female athlete across all sports and one of the greatest professional swimmers in history. She is a four-time Olympian, a nine-time gold medalist, a world champion and an eight-time NCAA Champion. She made history as the first woman to compete in and win gold in the debut of the women's 1500-meter freestyle Olympic event in the Tokyo Olympics. She has set countless world records, earned the most Olympic medals of any American woman, and the most world championship gold medals of any female swimmer.

Katie began swimming competitively at the age of 6. During her high school swimming career she twice set the American and US Open record in the 500-yard freestyle, and the national high school record in the 200-yard freestyle.

After earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team at age 15, she set an American record in the 800-meter freestyle to win her first gold medal at the 2012 Summer Games in London.

2016 Rio Olympics

In Rio, Katie won gold in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, breaking her own record. She helped her team win silver in the women’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay and won gold again in the 200-meter freestyle.

Stanford University 2016 - 2018

Katie entered Stanford University in the fall of 2016. In her two seasons with the Stanford Cardinals swim team, Katie won eight NCAA titles and broke 15 NCAA records, helping to lead the team to back-to-back NCAA Team Championships and two Pac-12 Conference Team Championships.

In March, 2018, Katie announced she would forgo her final two years of NCAA eligibility and turn professional. She continued to take classes at Stanford and graduated in the fall of 2020 with a major in psychology and a minor in political science.

2021 Tokyo Olympics

Katie made history as the first woman to compete in and win gold in the debut of the women's 1500-meter freestyle. She also earned a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle and earned a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle race. In addition, she anchored the 4x200-meter freestyle relay to earn a silver medal.

2024 Paris Olympics

In Paris, she won a bronze medal in the 400-meter, and scored gold in the 1,500-meter in Olympic-record time. The medal was her eighth gold at the Olympics, tying the record for a U.S. female athlete. She and her team earned a silver medal in the 4x200-meter relay. Her final win in the 800-meter freestyle, marked her fourth consecutive win in the event.

World Records and Medals

Katie is among the most decorated swimmers in the world and holds 16 world records and 37 American records.  She has earned the most Olympic medals of any American woman as well the most world championship gold medals of any female swimmer. This includes:

  • Olympic medals: 14 (9 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze)
  • World Championships medals: 26 (21 gold, 5 silver)
  • Swimming World Cup medals: 6 (3 gold, 3 silver)
  • Pan Pacific Championships medals: 10 (8 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

In addition to her athletic accolades, Katie has earned acclaim outside the pool. In May, 2024, she became the first swimmer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her memoir, Just Add Water: My Swimming Life, was published in June, 2024.

As the Health & Wellness Ambassador for Catholic Health, Katie Ledecky shares the outlook of taking a proactive and collaborative approach to health and performance. She believes that health and wellness is a long-term, active journey and a cohesive partnership between you and your health care provider.

Katie is proud to support the Catholic Health mission of empowering the people of Long Island to take charge of their health and wellness.

Learn more about our exciting partnership.