Twelve years after her first gold, Ledecky becomes Olympic icon with No. 9

NANTERRE, France — It was August 3. Of course it was. It’s the date that means everything to Katie Ledecky, the date that a dozen years ago, at 15, unknown and untested, she announced herself to the Olympic Games in London by winning her first gold medal.

And here it was August 3 again. Another Olympics, another 800 meters. But this time, the pressure was immense, because everyone knows her now, everyone knew what she was expected to do, everyone knew what was on the line.

“It’s almost like your birthday, August 3,” Ledecky said after it was all over. “Every August 3, the video gets posted somewhere, you kind of reminisce so when I saw it was August 3, I was like, oh boy, I gotta get the job done today.”

The day that started everything had now become something so much more significant. It had become one of the most important days in Olympic history, for it was the day — this day, August 3, 2024 — that Katie Ledecky powered her way to her fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 800 freestyle, becoming the most decorated American female gold medalist in any sport as well as one of only two women from any nation, in any sport, ever, to win nine gold medals. 

“I hope that I’ll look back on it with the same amount of joy and happiness that I feel right now,” she said.

Ledecky has now matched the nine gold medals of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who competed at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics. And she passed fellow American swimmer Jenny Thompson, with whom she had been tied with eight since Wednesday, for the most golds ever won by a U.S. woman. 

What’s more, her 14 total medals also are the most ever won by an American woman in Olympic history in any sport, and the most ever won by a female Olympic swimmer from any nation.

All that, accomplished in 8 minutes 11.04 seconds.

That was the time it took Saturday night for Ledecky to lead wire-to-wire, pushed as expected by her rival and friend, Australian Ariarne Titmus, who won her second consecutive Olympic 800 silver medal in 8:12.29, and fellow American Paige Madden, who swam 8:13.00 to win the bronze.

This was a victory of the moment, but also one 12 years in the making. Ledecky first won the Olympic 800 in a big surprise as that young water bug in London in 2012. She won it by a mile in Rio in 2016. She held off Titmus to win it again in Tokyo in 2021. And now this, the four-peat, the first time a woman has ever won the same swimming race in four consecutive Olympics.

Michael Phelps is the only other person to do it, in the men’s 200 individual medley, from 2004-2016. 

“Given that Michael is the only one that’s ever done that, I think that just shows how difficult that is,” Ledecky said. “I think especially in the 800, that’s just a lot of miles, just year after year trying to put in the work to make it happen. I definitely wouldn’t have pictured this in 2012 being able to come back Olympics after Olympics.”  

The race that cemented Ledecky as one of the greatest Olympians of all time was a test of endurance, for sure, but also of wills. Titmus, who defeated Ledecky at the beginning of these Olympics in the 400 freestyle, matched Ledecky stroke for stroke through the first half of the race, and then some, even though Ledecky was always slightly ahead.

“I knew Ariarne was going to give me everything she had,” Ledecky said. “I knew that it was going to be a tough race. I felt confident coming into it, I knew it was going to be tough no matter what, all the way down to the finish. I just had to trust myself, trust my training, trust that I know how to race that event.”

With that, Ledecky flashed a slight smile. She does know how to race that event. 

Her plan was simple. “I have good early speed, and I can come home hard. I can trust my endurance. … I kind of figured that she would try to stay with me as long as she could so I knew I just needed to stay calm through that and really just try to inch my way forward each lap and I think I did a pretty good job of that.”

In the end, as Titmus went for it, Ledecky was just too much. In the last 100 meters, victory was never in doubt. When it was over, as the crowd roared and Ledecky symbolically flashed four fingers, the two swimmers hugged over the lane rope. When Ledecky left the pool to wild cheers, Titmus stood nearby on the pool deck and applauded for many moments. 

“She’s made me a better athlete,” Titmus said later. “I totally respect what she has done in this sport more than anyone else. She’s been winning this race since I was 11 years old — and I turn 24 next month. That is just remarkable.

“I feel very honored and privileged to be her rival and I hope I’ve made her a better athlete. She’s certainly made me become the athlete I am. I feel so privileged to race along side her.”

Earlier in the Games, Ledecky corrected a journalist who asked about their rivalry. It isn’t a rivalry, Ledecky said. “It’s a friendship.”

To that end, Ledecky said to Titmus after the race, “Thank you for making me better. We bring the best out of each other.”

The 800 put the finishing touches on another stellar Olympics for the 27-year-old Ledecky. On the first day of Olympic swimming here, she won the bronze in the 400 freestyle behind Titmus and Canadian Summer McIntosh, then later in the week, she won the gold in the 1,500 freestyle and the silver as part of the U.S. women’s 4 x 200 freestyle relay.  

While Ledecky is now finished at the Paris Games, she is not done with the Summer Olympics. She has said numerous times that her goal is to compete on home soil at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

So, what about the 800 freestyle five-peat, she was asked. 

Too soon? Not really. The race was barely an hour old and Ledecky was already looking ahead.

“I’d love to,” she said. “We’ll see. It’s not easy but I’ll take it year by year and we’ll see. I’ll give it everything I’ve got for as long as I have left in me.”