Katie Ledecky stunned the world in 2012 when she competed in the London Olympic Games at just 15 years old. She immediately made a name for herself, taking home the gold in the 800m freestyle in her international debut. Four years later in 2016, Ledecky secured her position in the lexicon of Olympic greats when she became the most decorated athlete of the Rio de Janeiro games, bringing home four gold and two silver medals for Team USA. With the postponed Tokyo Games slated to take place in July of 2021, Ledecky has the potential to make history once again.
In 2015 at the World Aquatic Championships in Kazan, Russia, Ledecky became the first to sweep all five events, including the 1500m freestyle. This unprecedented feat became known as the Ledecky Slam. This year’s games will be the first in Olympic history in which women will be able to compete in the 1500m freestyle. As the world record holder—who also happens to hold the top nine fastest times in the event—Ledecky is not only a favorite to win, she could also potentially recreate her incredible sweep. And while Ledecky acknowledges she is excited about the opportunity to participate in this event on the Olympic stage, she knows it isn’t all about her.
“It is really exciting. It has been a long time coming. There is that history of why the 1500 free wasn’t an Olympic event for women for so long,” Ledecky said. “It is nice that there is the parity in the schedule between the men and the women. It is meaningful to me knowing so many of the great freestylers didn’t have that opportunity. To be able to be one of the first to have that opportunity is exciting to me and I hope I can carry the torch for USA Swimming in that event and get us started on the right note.”
Gender inequality in sports is not a recent issue and Ledecky has certainly fallen victim to the bias that comes with being female and dominant in a sport on the world stage. Sportscasters in the past have stated she swims “like a man” and have diminished her successes by frequently referring to her as “the female Michael Phelps.” But with all eyes on Ledecky for Tokyo 2021, she may be able to leave those comments in her wake, potentially altering the way sports media uses men as the default standard of comparison.