“I try to make the good days great”: Katie Ledecky did just that at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Amidst deafening cheers from the stands, the 7x Olympic gold medalist dominated across four events. With her stellar performances in the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle (in a tally of 6,000m!), she has now made it to her 4th Olympic berth! The swimmer had so much more to celebrate because, as she made a beeline for the win, she became the first woman to have all four wins at the U.S. Trials.

After being an absolute beast in the pool, she stepped onto the deck, pleased with the result. “I’m happy to have gotten the job done here in Indy tonight and this week,” she said. Her fans are anxiously waiting to watch her dominate the competition yet again. With the Paris Olympics just 4 days away, they wouldn’t have to wait too long. As she prepares for yet another shot at Olympic glory, it makes one wonder about all the people who stand as pillars of support behind her.

All about Katie Ledecky & her family

Katie Ledecky is David Ledecky and Mary Gen’s youngest child. Even though she was born in Washington, D.C.,  the swimmer and her elder brother, Michael, lived out their childhood in Bethesda, Maryland. David was a practicing attorney at Kirkland & Ellis. However, he quit in 2011 to help train Ledecky at 14. Her mother, Mary was a competitive swimmer back in college. Now we see where the swimmer gets it from! But she isn’t the only one with ties to a sport. Her uncle, John Ledecky co-owns the NHL New York Islanders. So we know who she will be cheering on! However, her lineage is just as intriguing as her speed in the Olympic pool.

Ledecky’s paternal grandfather, Jaromír Ledecky, originally resided in Czechoslovakia. But to improve his quality of life, he moved to the Big Apple in 1947. The economist soon crossed paths with Berta Ruth Greenwald, an Ashkenazi Jewish woman. They fell in love and tied the knot in 1956. Many don’t know that Ledecky’s family from her paternal grandmother’s side met their demise during the Holocaust. The swimmer’s mother’s family has deep roots in Ireland. Due to this, she was raised Catholic and continues to practice her faith now. Ledecky often chants the Hail Mary before several races due to her upbringing. But where exactly did her passion for the pool come from?

What ignited her passion for swimming?

A traumatic experience from Mary’s childhood forced her to take up swimming as a survival skill. Ledecky’s aunt nearly drowned when she was four years old. Not only did it leave her mother feeling uneasy, but her maternal grandfather took this as a sign and enrolled all his children in swimming lessons. But with time, Mary soon realized she had fallen in love with the sport. At the University of New Mexico, she competed in several college swim meets and even qualified for the national championships three times! Seeing how her mother is a swimmer, it’s no surprise that Katie Ledecky wanted to follow in her footsteps.

The swimmer’s brother picked up on this passion too, and Katie and Michael were promptly enrolled at the Palisades Swim Club in Maryland when she was only 6. Like most little girls that age, she looked up to her elder brother and followed him around the pool. Not only did she enjoy swimming with him, but this also made her realize that she wanted to keep doing it. The swimmer credits Michael for keeping her company all those years. She believes that if he hadn’t been by her side, she probably wouldn’t have loved the sport as much as she has, which became prominent throughout her high school days.

Katie Ledecky’s education and early swimming career

Growing up in Bethesda, the swimmer went to the Little Flower School. But high school is where she truly thrived! She set several records during swim meets at the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. Ledecky shattered the 500-yard freestyle US Open and American records twice. Ledecky also had two national high school records to her name. And she wasn’t done! In 2015, she had collected every Stone Ridge school record except for one swimming event: the 100m breaststroke. While she was busy collecting high school records, Ledecky had accomplished a major milestone.

At just 15, she was through to her first Summer Games. Could you imagine being the youngest athlete in the U.S. Olympic delegation? The swimmer did just that at the 2012 London Olympics. But that wasn’t all that she accomplished. She was up against the reigning world champion, Kate Zeigler. Most would’ve been intimidated by such high stakes, but Ledecky wasn’t. Against all odds, she emerged victorious with 8:19:78 seconds, claiming an Olympic gold as her own. Zeigler couldn’t keep up and finished second with 8:21:87 seconds on the clock. You’re probably thinking this couldn’t get any better, but it does!

What kickstarted her competitive swimming journey? 

Ledecky’s 2012 win was Team USA’s first 800m Olympic gold since the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. However, before she rightfully turned heads on the world’s biggest stage, she contested for the Palisades Swim team in Cabin John, Maryland. While Katie Ledecky’s dad briefly coached her, they realized that this wouldn’t suffice. So she decided to join the Nation’s Capital Swim Club and train under Yuri Suguiyama. But that was short-lived too. Yuri eventually parted ways to coach at the University of California. But all hope was not lost.

Bruce Gemmell took over and trained the swimmer during her stint at the 2016 Rio Summer Games. After powering through high school and 2 Olympic berths, Ledecky took up an athletic scholarship at Stanford University. Just as expected, she couldn’t stay away from the pool and joined the Stanford Cardinal women’s swimming team. Under Greg Meehan’s tutelage, the swimmer racked up even more accolades throughout her time there. However, she didn’t just excel in athletics. She was just as good when it came to academics. The swimmer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in political science in 2021.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky will have the chance to do something that has only been achieved once before. Michael Phelps is the only swimmer to have won four gold medals at the same Summer Games. If she emerges victorious in all her events, she will be the second swimmer to have achieved this monumental feat. How do you think she will fare in the French capital?