Katie Ledecky has consistently made history with her talent. While her swimming prowess is class apart, many have drawn various comparisons. Somewhere along the way, comments about her swimming like a man were made, and she recently reflected on them.
She announced a few months ago that she had penned her memoir, ‘Just Add Water,’ which would give an in-depth look into her thoughts on her career and achievements. Amidst this, she even had a segment on the comments she would hear about her exceptional swimming.
Ledecky’s swimming style has often garnered comments from fans who have marveled at her. Many have observed how her strokes in the pool have resembled those of male swimmers or are at least different enough to give her an edge over the others. In her recent interview with CBS, the host asked about this phenomenon.
The focus was mainly on how people began comparing her skills to a man, which did not sit well with some. However, Ledecky offered her perspective on this, where she did not take offense at being compared to men for her swimming style.
“When I was kind of first coming onto the scene, I was swimming a bit of a different stroke than a lot of the other female distance swimmers…I think that’s really what made me so great.“
Ledecky acknowledged that she was different, and it was all good since she had expected the comparisons. However, she had a positive outlook on the situation, where she wanted the narrative to go from ‘swimming like a man’ to something close to her name.
“I hope that in the future…people can say ‘oh, she swims like Katie Ledecky’ or ‘she has Katie’s stroke’…“
Not only did Ledecky embrace the uniqueness of her swimming style, but she also wanted the world to know her for that. The constant association with men did not bring her down in any way.
With the book, her thoughts, and her unique take on challenges both in and out of the pool, Ledecky’s personality has always been likable. Her journey through professional swimming is far from ending just yet, and she might have another Olympic run in the bag.
Yet her superpower is owning everything she does during competitions. Her status as a class-apart GOAT athlete is justified by her countless medals and her striving to improve every time.
