“She Swims Faster Than I Run!”: Katie Ledecky’s Childhood Friend Once Described the 7-Time Olympic Gold Medalist’s Sensational Race During High-School

Katie Ledecky is arguably one of the finest female swimmers in history. The American has broken and set several records. With seven individual Olympic golds and 22 overall World Aquatics Championships medals, Ledecky is the most gold medal-winning female swimmer. When she was only 15, the swimming legend won her first Olympic gold.

Despite having such an illustrious career, Ledecky is among the most unassuming swimmers. For those who know her, Katie comes across as a down-to-earth and friendly woman. Neither is her physical stature intimidating. However, inside the pool, Katie’s mindset changes. Katie’s childhood friend once recounted how she found out about Katie’s talent.

Katie Ledecky’s friend on the swimmer’s initial days

In 2016, Katie’s childhood friend Alle Rock revealed in an interview, how Katie shocked her in the past. When Rock, who is older than Katie, was in high school, Ledecky followed her around most of the time at school. Katie was in eighth grade, and Alle remembered her to be a “super-nice, super-considerate” girl. The pair became friends. She showed the future Olympian what life in high school would be like.

Alle and her sister were athletes. Rock played lacrosse while her sister swam. Around the time Katie and Alle became friends, Alle went to a swimming meet to see her sister swim. Ledecky was also part of the meet. However, Alle didn’t expect what she was about to witness.

The former lacrosse player had no idea Katie was swimming in the meet. She spotted Katie taking her positions and watched as the future Olympic legend started her race. Katie shocked Alle with her sheer talent inside the swimming pool. Alle said, “OHMYGOSH!… She swims faster than I run!”

READ MORE: Swimming GOAT Katie Ledecky Shattered Yet Another 800m Freestyle Time at the 2022 FINA World Cup

Alle isn’t the only one who thought Katie was “unremarkable”. When Katie first began swimming under coach Bruce Gemmell, she gave him a similar impression. Bruce remembers when Katie first joined, the swimmer couldn’t do a single push-up. However, even the U.S. Olympic Committee wrote, “remarkably unremarkable” after doing a workup on Katie when she was young.

Katie Ledecky is still setting records

Ledecky is now 25 and continues to add gold medals to her tally. In 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, Ledecky won two golds and two silvers. With her performance in Tokyo, Katie became the first female swimmer to win six career Olympic golds. The only Olympic swimmer, male or female, with more golds than Katie, is Michael Phelps, with 23.

During the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, The Olympic legend won gold in all four events she participated in.

Watch this story – Here’s How Katie Ledecky’s Remarkable Swimming Technique Propelled Her to the Top of the World Record Charts

Katie Ledecky’s down-to-earth and humble nature may come across as unassuming. However, inside the pool, she is nearly unstoppable.