Katie Ledecky - The Golden Child
SWIMMER - 400m, 800m, 1500m FREESTYLE - OLYMPIAN - TEAM USA
ARCHETYPE: THE GOLDEN CHILD
Day 74/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Katie Ledecky is only 24 years old, and she has already won 34 medals in major international competitions, including a whopping five Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals.
Ledecky exploded onto the scene in 2012 as a 15 year-old at the London Olympics, where she unexpectedly won gold in the 800m freestyle.
Then she went back to high school, just a normal Olympic phenom, where she holds the record in every swimming event except the 100-meter breaststroke. CAN YOU EVEN?
At the 2015 World Championships, Ledecky won 5 gold medals.
In her 2016-2017 freshman season at Stanford, Ledecky set 12 NCAA records and nine American records. She is an eight-time individual NCAA champion and two-time team NCAA champion, as well as the 2017 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year winner.
Then it was on to the 2016 Olympics, where Ledecky won five gold and one silver medal, and left Rio as was the most decorated female athlete of the Games, with four gold and one silver medal.
Many of Ledecky’s wins are not by a touch, or even a body length. She often destroys the field, competing against herself and still putting up monster times and having broken fourteen world records in her career. And she’s still got years ahead of her.
Whether you prefer metric or English standard measurements, Ledecky is still the best in the world. She is the world record holder in the women's 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle, as well as fastest-ever times in the 500 yard, 1000 yard, and 1650 yard freestyle.
Character Archetype: The Golden Child
Twenty-four year-old Katie Ledecky has won 34 medals in major international competitions including 5 silvers, one lonely bronze, and—are you ready for this?—28 gold medals.
And that’s not all. Ledecky has also broken 14 world records, including the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle.
Earlier this year, she won the 1500-meter free by 21.37 seconds—more than half the length of the pool. At this point, it’s almost like the only chance opponents have of beating Ledecky is if she’s wearing all 28 gold medals.
This summer, Ledecky will be competing in her third Olympic Games, and she is NOT playing. This absolute beast is aiming for five more gold medals in Tokyo—looking to come up with the bling in the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events as well as the 800m free relay.
She’s got the experience, the speed, the work ethic, and the audacity to believe it’s possible. Oh, and she’s got one more thing. That Midas touch.