Katie Ledecky has once again made history at the Paris Olympics, clinching another gold medal and breaking the record for the most gold medals won by any American female swimmer.
On August 3rd, the 27-year-old delivered a remarkable performance in the 800-meter freestyle, securing first place in her final event at the Paris Games. She finished ahead of Australia's Ariarne Titmus and her fellow American, Paige Madden, who claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
This victory marks Ledecky's ninth Olympic gold, bringing her total Olympic medal count to 14. This achievement ties her with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals ever won by a female Olympian.
Ledecky's latest gold also allows her to surpass swimmer Jenny Thompson's record for the most Olympic gold medals won by an American female swimmer.
In a historic feat, Ledecky became the sixth athlete in Olympic history to win four golds in the same individual event, joining the ranks of Denmark's Paul Elvstroem, Americans Al Oerter, Carl Lewis, Michael Phelps, and Cuba's Mijain Lopez.
Earlier in the week, Ledecky became the most decorated female Olympic swimmer of all time when she secured a silver medal in the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay on August 1st, alongside Claire Weinstein, Madden, and Erin Gemmell. Their team finished just behind Australia, and Ledecky’s performance in the final 100 meters of the third leg propelled Team USA from third to second place.
Katie Ledecky and Australia's Ariarne Titmus celebrate winning bronze and gold respectively in the women's 400-meter freestyle final on July 27.Quinn Rooney / Getty Images
Ledecky's total medal count at the Paris Games stands at four, including two golds, one silver, and one bronze.
On July 31st, Ledecky dominated the 1500-meter freestyle, defeating France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova and Germany’s Isabel Gose by more than 10 seconds, and setting a new Olympic record with her time of 15:30.02.
Additionally, on July 27th, she earned a bronze medal in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, a race some media dubbed the "race of the century," finishing behind Australia's Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh.
Ledecky first made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Olympics, winning gold in the 800-meter freestyle at the age of 15.
Despite her record-breaking achievements, Ledecky remains humble, as she mentioned in an interview with Stephanie Gosk on TODAY in June, “I never thought that I would even make one Olympics when I first started swimming, let alone have the opportunity to go into a fourth. So that part is mind-blowing to me. But at the same time, I don’t really focus on the history stuff or medal counts. I’m very focused on each individual swim, and more so on times than places.”
As of August 3rd, Ledecky, a four-time Olympian, has won 14 Olympic medals, including nine golds. Her impressive performance in Paris included victories in the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle, a silver in the 4x200 freestyle relay, and a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.