Katie Ledecky has been a stunning example of how a skilled athlete’s consistency can bag loads of achievements and awe. Her participation in Paris marked her fourth Olympic appearance and she managed to stun everyone. Nic Fink, one of the four captains of the US swimming contingent, recently opened up on watching his teammate succeed.
In a conversation with TMZ Sports, the 31-year-old recounted his experience leading the team alongside Ledecky and how she inspired him.
While Fink brought home two silvers and one gold, he couldn’t help but express his amazement at the decorated swimmer who won a few historic titles this season. Ledecky, who had already set her eyes on the long-distance swimming categories, aced through them all.
She swept off the gold in the 800m freestyle and the 1500m freestyle, bagged a silver in the 4x200m medley and got a podium finish with bronze for the 400m freestyle. Throughout all these events, one thing that did not change about her was her pace, her strategy, and her calm and collected mindset.
Fink appreciated this and raved on about how her mental fortitude still took him by surprise, given the immense pressure that comes with being a reigning champion.
Putting their best foot forward is still something that athletes might have a tough time navigating through. But somehow, Ledecky never missed an opportunity with a bad day.
“The crazy thing is just the consistency…She’s like, never been off. It’s been on, on, on.”
Fink confessed that it was the one thing he never understood how the 27-year-old swimming prodigy could pull off. One saw her grow better at her events this year when she broke her own Olympic record at the 1500m Freestyle finals.
While it secured her the gold, it also confirmed Fink’s statement about Ledecky raising the bar. This outstanding accomplishment naturally raises the question of how Ledecky excelled in long-distance swimming.
So, how did Ledecky get good at long-distance swimming?
Unlike the popular thought process of an athlete preferring short-distance paces, be it swimming or sprinting, Ledecky’s love for longer distances might strike one as odd.
Ever since her debut at the 2012 London Olympics, where she immediately swooped her first-ever Olympic gold in the 800m freestyle, fans knew of her unique category choice.
In an old interview, her coach, Bruce Gemmell, revealed that she just loved to zone out and keep swimming back and forth. Somewhere, the roots of her consistent nature had emerged, and while long-distance swimming can get tiring and taxing, her endurance has been off the charts.
Perhaps that’s what comes with being one of the most decorated female swimmers of all time – consistency and sticking to one’s expertise. Ledecky might still have a lot of fire left in her for more competitions, but fans can rest easy knowing she won’t be deterred from her path of success.
