Bethesda native Katie Ledecky will compete in her fourth Olympics when swimming events begin at Paris La Défense Arena. She qualified in Olympic trials in June after winning the women’s 400m freestyle, finishing four seconds ahead of her nearest competitor with a time of 3:58.35.
At just 27 years old, Ledecky has won seven gold and three silver Olympic medals.
And then there’s that Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Biden on May 3, 2024.
Much of the world first noticed Ledecky when, at 15 years old, she scored gold in the women’s 800m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics.
In the following years, Ledecky has also won 21 world championship gold medals.
In 2023, she became the first swimmer to win six gold medals in the same worlds event, passing legendary swimmer (and also Maryland native) Michael Phelps for most individual world titles.
Best wishes at the 2024 Summer Olympics to another Maryland woman making history today.
