In the post-Paris Olympics phase, an exceptional moment came in. It was Katie Ledecky refuting Michael Phelps’s argument on Team USA’s sad show in the swimming department. The American swimming team failed to innovate at the 33rd Games, as the twenty-three-time Olympic champion pointed out, while the other teams had been speeding up. “The rest of the world is catching up. I think, a lot of the things that we’ve done as a country for so long, the other people are catching up,” he mentioned. However, Ledecky didn’t give in to that criticism. 

Instead, she posed the swimming team’s top ranking as an example to defend Phelps’s criticism. In Paris, Team USA claimed the top position as the team based on the number of medals snagged in the swimming. Now, yet again, Katie has given an example of the fine performance given by the Stars and Stripes in the pool of Paris La Defense Arena. 

Katie Ledecky rates herself as the underdog in a team of budding swimmers 

At the Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky had the chance to move past the top names to become the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history. That prospect was further sparked after her bronze medal in the 400m freestyle event. The women’s 4x200m freestyle relay event was the event that followed the schedule. Ultimately, the American squad won the event, giving Ledecky her 13th Olympic medal, the most ever among all female swimmers.

But in the event, she didn’t have to shed much sweat despite the Australian and Chinese presence in the pool. According to her, the other members of the relay team had already lowered the pressure on her by giving an exceptional performance on that day. In a recent conversation with Katie Hoff Anderson and Missy Franklin Johnson, Ledecky laid out, “I think I probably had the weakest, I think I had the weakest leg kind of comparatively of, of the four of us.” As part of the relay leg, she jumped into the pool as the third swimmer. 

Before her, Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden had already pushed the team to a respectable situation. As per Ledecky, their legs were the stepping stone on which she had to further cement the winning chance. Fortunately, the 27-year-old did her job, which age does best—improving the rank. In the end, Erin Gemmell came to make the icing on the cake. Ledecky praised her saying. “Erin is an amazing anchor.”

Finally, the US team finished 2.78 seconds behind the top team, Australia. It’s worth noting that Grimmell is a teenager, and her father, Bruce, once coached Katie. Through her comments, the Bethesda native aimed to highlight the excellence of the current American team, a team whose dominance was once challenged by Michael Phelps. However, this isn’t the first time the Baltimore Bullet’s assertions have been questioned.

Michael Phelps’s complaint faces no ground in front of one of his ex-colleagues 

Throughout the US Olympic swimming trials and the Paris Olympics, Rowdy Gaines’s insightful analysis captured attention. With three Olympic gold medals in swimming, the veteran is well-equipped to engage in any debate on the topic. In one instance, he dismissed Michael Phelps’ claim about the lack of new talent in the American swimming team. Instead, Gaines expressed gratitude to the Paris Olympics for introducing a new wave of athletes who could carry the torch of Phelps and Katie Ledecky.

In his interaction with Rick Doll, Gaines said, “The men are gonna be just fine. It’s a young team.”Moreover, he highlighted teenage sensation Thomas Heilman, who secured his first Olympic medal in Paris. According to Gaines, swimmers like Heilman will develop further over the next four years, posing a fierce challenge to their opponents at the LA Olympics. Thus, he remains optimistic. In the French capital, he saw a spark in the American swimmers, much like Katie Ledecky did. It will be fascinating to see how their potential unfolds in the coming four years.