On August 3rd of each year, Katie Ledecky is reminded of her first gold medal at the Olympics.
Reserving her place on the U.S. swim team for the London Games, she was only fifteen years old and a quiet high school student. After that, she stunned everyone by winning the 800-meter freestyle competition.
On this day twelve years ago, Ledecky repeated the feat. Not spectacular, but definitely unforgettable. Nineth gold medal in the series.
Capping off another incredible Olympic campaign, Ledecky defeated the “Terminator,” Ariarne Titmus, to win the 800 free on Saturday night, making history as just the second swimmer to win an event at four consecutive Summer Games.
Another significant achievement for Ledecky—her second gold medal in Paris and her ninth overall—was reached. She tied for second position with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, swimmer Mark Spitz, and track great Carl Lewis, making history as only the sixth Olympian to accomplish that mark.
Michael Phelps, a swimmer, is the only athlete with more gold medals, with 23. Ledecky knew exactly how important that date was.
“Every Aug. 3, the video (of her first Olympic gold) gets posted somewhere and you kind of reminisce,” she statd. “So, when I saw it was Aug. 3, I was like, ‘Oh boy, I’ve got to get the job done.'”
That’s what she achieved, finishing in 8 minutes, 11.04 seconds, faster than her winning mark in Tokyo. Ledecky gained ground on Titmus in the last 100 meters of the race, but Titmus was almost always right on her shoulder.
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At 8:12.29, Titmus, who had defeated Ledecky in the 400 freestyle, had to settle for silver. At 8:13.00, Paige Madden, another American, won the bronze.
Phelps, who won gold in the 200 individual medley at Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio de Janeiro, was the only swimmer to win the same event in four consecutive Olympics.
Ledecky’s consistency over the past twelve years was given some perspective by Titmus, who pointed out where the American was when she took home the first gold in London.
Over the past twelve years, Ledecky has dominated distance freestyle competitions, and he’s far from done. She has stated unequivocally that she intends to continue swimming at least until the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
