Katie Ledecky has created history by winning her eighth Olympic gold at the Paris Olympics’ 1500m freestyle swim. Being one of the senior-most female swimmers in the US, the 27-year-old has been busy crossing milestones after milestones.
However, something that has set her apart from other swimmers is her sheer strength and finesse, which she shows off during her long-distance swimming. Her training is focused on endurance and building up her core power to get the most out of her abilities while maintaining a record time.
Being one of the most decorated athletes, she comes quite close to her male counterpart, Michael Phelps, in terms of her achievements and accolades. But Ledecky doesn’t indulge in every Olympic swimming category out there.
Her focus, especially this time around, has been limited to a select few to ensure she plays the role of the swim team captain successfully while also having the strength to battle in physically demanding categories.
Here’s the list of events that Ledecky will be participating in at the Paris Olympics:
- Women’s 400m Freestyle
- Women’s 800m Freestyle
- Women’s 1500m Freestyle
- Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Why does Ledecky opt for long-distance swimming?
For the 27-year-old swimming champion, endurance and timing are paramount. She has long favored the 800m and 1500m events, which test these crucial skills. In an interview with ‘My Swim Pro’, her coach, Bruce Gemmell, revealed that Ledecky’s mindset has always gravitated towards long-distance swimming.
This preference can be attributed to her love for the repetitive nature of long-distance swimming. She challenges herself with extensive back-and-forth swimming during training sessions and eagerly embraces the opportunity to replicate this in competition.
Now that Ledecky already holds her record for the women’s 1500m freestyle and the women’s 800m freestyle, it will be interesting to see how long until she breaks her own record.
