Katie Ledecky has accomplished more in her 19 years on Earth than many people do in their entire lives.
On top of winning her second ever gold medal yesterday, the Washington D.C.-born swimmer has already set 12 swimming world records, won USA Swimming Athlete of the Year three times, donned the cover of Sports Illustrated, and been named to the Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. And she hasn’t even started college yet.
Ledecky, who before now wasn’t much of a household name, is poised to emerge from the Rio as one of the most talked about and admired stars in years. She is clearly the best women’s swimmer in America and is perhaps the best overall athlete representing Team USA. With the number of events still to come, Ledecky has the potential to put on a spectacle like few other Olympians before her.
Before the precocious swimmer adds any more gold medals to her collection, check out these 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Katie Ledecky.
One swimming executive thinks we’re in the “Ledecky Era” of the sport.
Ledecky broke her first world record at the age of 16.
She has been named USA Swimming’s Athlete of the Year three years running.
Her uncle is New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky.
Ledecky is passing up on millions of dollars this summer.
Her mom was a championship swimmer in college.
She was USA’s youngest Olympian in 2012.
She recently got to chill with Pop and the Spurs.
If you want to learn about winning, there are few better people to learn from than Gregg Popovich. Ledecky, along with the rest of USA’s swimmers, recently met up with NBA legends Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker, resulting in a photo-op that went viral on Twitter.
Also, Pop in a Napoleon Dynamite shirt? Legendary.