Katie Ledecky Reaffirms Commitment To Race On Home Soil At 2028 LA Olympics
03/05/2024 16:33
By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Katie Ledecky has doubled down on her goal of racing on American soil at the Olympics.
During the 2023 World Championships, Ledecky said competing at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles were “definitely in the picture,” and she reaffirmed that commitment in a recent interview with NBC.
“The [2028] Olympics being in LA is very appealing,” she told NBC. Not very many athletes get an opportunity to compete in a home Games.”
The last time Americans raced at a home Summer Olympics was 1996 in Atlanta, while the latest edition of the Winter Olympics in the U.S. came in Salt Lake City in 2002.
“I definitely, at this point, am planning on going through 2028… whether I compete in one event, multiple events, a relay, whatever.”
Ledecky, 27, will be 31 by the time the 2028 Olympics roll around.
As we’ve learned throughout her career, normal standards don’t apply to Ledecky, but we’ve only seen three women win Olympic gold after their 30th birthday: Dara Torres (33), Inge de Bruijn (30) and Ursula Happe (30).
Sarah Sjostrom could be added to that list after the Paris Olympics, as the 30-year-old has been an unstoppable force over the last few years in the 50 free, and Ledecky will be a candidate to do the same in Los Angeles.
Ledecky heads into Paris as the favorite for repeat gold medals in the women’s 800 free and 1500 free, and also has a shot in the 400 free and the 800 free relay.
She currently owns seven gold and 10 total Olympic medals. If she were to win two more golds and reach a career total of nine, she would tie for #2 all-time with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, Finnish track and field athlete Paavo Nurmi, American track and field athlete Carl Lewis, and American swimmer Mark Spitz, only trailing Michael Phelps‘ otherworldly 23.
Three gold medals would make Ledecky just the second athlete in history with double-digit Olympic titles.
In terms of total medals, Ledecky needs three to rank 2nd behind Phelps among swimmers, with Jenny Thompson, Ryan Lochte and Torres all sitting with 12.
In her interview with NBC, Ledecky also spoke on her new book, which will be released prior to the U.S. Olympic Trials.
"It just felt like I have a lot of stories from my swimming career and even just growing up in sport,” Ledecky said about her memoir, Just Add Water, and its unusual timing. “I just wanted to kind of get it on paper.”
“I’ve kept journals over the years, so I relied a lot on those to remind me of different stories and anecdotes. And it’s been kind of a fun project away from the pool over the past year that I’ve been able to put my energy into."
Ledecky was also asked about how she feels to have inspired the next generation of swimmers who have now become her competitors, including one of her friendly rivals, Summer McIntosh.
"It’s very cool. It’s an honor," Ledecky said.
“It’s kind of surreal how long I’ve been doing it, and it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, because I’ve truly enjoyed it each year and I enjoy the process [but] when you dive into the pool you’re not really thinking about those things.”
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Katie Ledecky Reaffirms Commitment To Race On Home Soil At 2028 LA Olympics
