Katie Ledecky reached the pinnacle of Olympic swimming. She’s not done yet.
Ledecky has won more Olympic medals than any other female swimmer, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to stop competing.
Katie Ledecky and her 4×200 freestyle relay teammates took a silver medal on Thursday. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)
By Rick Maese
NANTERRE, France — Katie Ledecky is alone at the top, right where she’s most comfortable.
With the United States’ second-place finish in the women’s 4×200 freestyle Thursday, Ledecky now has 13 Olympic medals in her collection, more than any other female who’s ever dipped a toe in Olympic waters.
Her gold one night earlier in the women’s 1,500-meter race put Ledecky in a four-way tie with fellow American greats Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin, along with Australian Emma McKeon.
She swam the third leg of Thursday’s relay, diving into the pool with the Americans in third place. She moved past China after 150 meters and drew the U.S. team to within 0.33 seconds of the speedy Australian team. Ledecky posted a 200 time of 1:54.93.
“I guess it really hasn’t sunk in,” Ledecky said after the race. “Just because I have one more race — or two more swims left. But I guess to accomplish that with a relay feels fitting to me. I’ve been on that relay so many times over the years with so many great people. So it’s really special to do it as part of a relay.”
Olympic rookie Erin Gemmel, 19, surprisingly got the anchor spot for the Americans. She was able to hold off China, but had no chance of catching Australia, anchored by Ariarne Titmus, the world record-holder in the 200. The Aussies took gold and broke the Olympic record with a time of 7:38.08. The U.S. won silver with a time of 7:40.86.
Olympic rookie Erin Gemmel, 19, surprisingly got the anchor spot for the Americans. She was able to hold off China, but had no chance of catching Australia, anchored by Ariarne Titmus, the world record-holder in the 200. The Aussies took gold and broke the Olympic record with a time of 7:38.08. The U.S. won silver with a time of 7:40.86.
