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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 26: Bethesda, Maryland, native and champion swimmer Katie Ledecky announces that she will become a professional swimmer during the Newsmakers luncheon at the National Press Club March 26, 2018 in Washington, DC. Ledecky will forego the remainder of her collegiate swimming career and become a professional swimmer as she trains for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 26: Bethesda, Maryland, native and champion swimmer Katie Ledecky announces that she will become a professional swimmer during the Newsmakers luncheon at the National Press Club March 26, 2018 in Washington, DC. Ledecky will forego the remainder of her collegiate swimming career and become a professional swimmer as she trains for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
About 600 athletes gathered at the South Lawn of the White House to attend a Team USA ceremony hosted by President Joe Biden. The ceremony celebrated the team’s performance in the Tokyo Olympics, 2022 Winter Olympics, and the past two Paralympic Games. Among the athletes stood Katie Ledecky attending her third event in the White House.
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How did training with top distance swimmers help Ledecky?
With 7 Olympic gold medals, she is among the most decorated names in competitive swimming. After the ceremony, Ledecky came forward to share some insights on her life, her move to Florida Gators, and her training routine.
Standing on the South Lawn after the ceremony, Ledecky said, “It’s not an experiment because it’s the real thing. It’s something that I knew would help me in my career at this point, training with some of the top male distance swimmers in the world and being in that environment.”
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TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 28: Katie Ledecky of Team United States celebrates after winning the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 28, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
At 25, Ledecky is going strong with her brilliant performance at the Team Trials. At the meet, she qualified for four World events, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events. However, Katie has withdrawn from the 200 as per the updated official team roster.
She is undergoing training to compete at the upcoming FINA World Championships along with other world-class distance swimmers like Bobby Finke and Kieran Smith. Caeleb Dressel is another prominent athlete who trains with the team.
Sharing her training experience with Bobby Finke, Ledecky said, “It’s been fantastic. We motivate each other and push each other and it’s definitely given me a really good push in my events.”
Move to Florida Gators rewarding for Katie Ledecky
After her move to Florida Gators last September, Ledecky has been training under coach Anthony Nesty. A volunteer swim coach herself, she is consistently improving her performance under the guidance of Nesty.
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KAZAN, RUSSIA – AUGUST 04: Katie Ledecky of the United States celebrates winning the gold medal in a new world record of 15.25:48 in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final on day eleven of the 16th FINA World Championships at the Kazan Arena on August 4, 2015 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Furthermore, the three-time Olympian has had a brilliant season securing gold in four events at the Team Trials. At the meet, she clocked the 800m at 8:09.27, making it her sixth-fastest all-time performance and the fastest in four years. Additionally, she chipped off more than three seconds from her performance at the Tokyo Olympics.
She performed similarly in the other three events during the meet, securing the first position with impressive timings. This year, she has been clocking some of her fastest timing in years.
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WATCH THIS STORY- Claire Weinstein Becomes the Fastest 15-Year-Old 200m Swimmer in US History
Currently, Ledecky is training for next month’s World Championships. Given her performance at the trials this year, she is expected to deliver a marvelous performance at the meet.
