Katie Ledecky makes fourth Olympic appearance in Paris | Profile

Bethesda, Maryland, native Katie Ledecky says she’s never quite satisfied, but certainly, to say she is accomplished is an understatement.Related video above: Katie Ledecky to skip Olympics Opening CeremonyThe four-time Olympian swimming phenom received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in May, for which the White House said: “She will continue to compete for the nation who watches her in awe.”Awe, indeed.At 15, Ledecky debuted at the 2012 London Olympics, winning gold in the women’s 800-meter freestyle.| NBC: Katie Ledecky recounts winning first Olympic gold at 15It was only maybe a year prior when Ledecky said she started to believe she could become an Olympian. She looked up to Olympians then, and now, she’s the one inspiring little girls to dream big.”I hope that young swimmers can look up to all of Team USA and be inspired over these next few weeks. Whether you’re a swimmer or another athlete, I hope you’ll see how much fun we have competing, representing our country, pushing ourselves to be the best that we can be — that’s something that anyone can do. You don’t have to be an Olympian to try to be the best version of yourself,” Ledecky told 11 News.At Rio 2016, she won golds in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle, claiming the most individual swimming titles.And, with another gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, she became the second most-decorated athlete behind Baltimore legend Michael Phelps. She also won silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay in Rio.Ledecky then focused on longer events with the addition of the 1500-meter freestyle at Tokyo 2020, in which she won gold.She added a gold and two silvers in the 800-meter freestyle and the 400-meter freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle relay, respectively, to become the most decorated female individual swimmer in history.The Paris Games will be her fourth Olympic appearance, and if Ledecky wins just three more medals, she will become the most decorated female Olympian ever.”It’s just amazing. Each time you get to walk into the Olympic Village and you see athletes from all different countries, all different sports coming together in this one place,” Ledecky told 11 News.| WATCH: Here’s how to watch Katie Ledecky swim at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Surrounded by the best athletes in the world, Ledecky keeps her mind laser-focused.”I’m training both my mind and my body every time I practice,” Ledecky told 11 News. “I rely on that for confidence. I know what I need to be thinking about during my races. I know how to trick my body into pushing a little bit harder at different points in those races.”While Ledecky said she’s not superstitious, she does eat pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese before races.She’s also tight-lipped when it comes to sharing her goals for the Olympics, but she has earned it.”I have some goals for Paris — none that I’m going to share publicly. Nothing against you,” Ledecky told 11 News. “I don’t share with anyone, so don’t feel like I’m hiding something.”Thus far, Ledecky has also won 21 world championship gold medals. In 2023, she became the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds — which was also her 16th individual world title — propelling her to surpass Michael Phelps for most individual world titles. Ledecky has not been beaten in the 800m free for more than a decade.”I’m continuing to train really hard,” Ledecky said in August 2023. “I have a smile on my face every day when I go to practice and I’m around people that have similar goals.”Ledecky has broken world records 16 times and national records 37 times over her career thus far. She still holds the world records in both the 800m and 1500m freestyles, clocking the 19 fastest 1500m free times in history.App users tap here for infographicPhoto Gallery: Katie Ledecky’s amazing Olympic swimming career over the years