On July 31, 2024, American swimmer Katie Ledecky shattered yet another Olympic record, securing her eighth gold medal by dominating the women’s 1500m freestyle with a jaw-dropping time of 15:30:02. If you missed this incredible moment in sports history, never fear: Ledecky is on deck to make an even bigger splash in the next few days!
So far at the Paris Olympics, Ledecky has won a bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle along with yesterday’s gold in the 1500m free. This brings the Maryland-born athlete’s total Olympic medal count to twelve: eight gold, three silver, and one bronze.
Ledecky is currently tied with fellow swimmers Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin for the honor of most Olympic medals ever earned by an American woman. Ledecky and Thompson are also tied for the most gold medals achieved by an American woman, but we have a feeling they won’t be tied for long!
When is Ledecky’s next chance to win gold?
Ledecky is expected to compete in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay on Thursday, August 1, at 4:03 p.m. ET. If she edges out the competition to win a ninth gold in this event, she will officially overtake Thompson’s record to become the American woman with the most Olympic gold medals in history.
On Friday, August 2 at around 5:52 a.m., Ledecky is also scheduled to race in the second heat for the women’s 800m freestyle. If she qualifies (which she almost certainly will!), the record-breaking swimmer will go on to compete in the women’s 800m freestyle gold medal event on Saturday, August 3, at around 3:08 p.m.
She’s poised to make Olympic history yet again
If Ledecky does ultimately win a tenth (!) gold medal at the Paris Olympics, she will officially set the record for most gold medals by a woman athlete of all time, and she’ll tie with fellow Maryland native Michael Phelps as the only U.S. athlete to ever win ten Olympic gold medals.
One last note about Saturday’s 800m free race. If she wins, Ledecky will also become the first woman to win the same individual event at four different Olympics. She first won gold in the 800m at her first Olympic Games in London in 2012 when she was just 15 years old, and she won a second 800m at the 2016 Rio Games. She earned her third gold for this event in Tokyo in 2020, so winning again in Paris seems totally within her grasp!
A fourth victory in this category draws further comparison to American G.O.A.T. Michael Phelps, who also won individual medals for one event (in his case, the 200m Individual Medley) in four consecutive Olympic Games.
What’s next for Ledecky at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
To recap, Ledecky has already competed in two events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She won a bronze for the 400m free, and she set a new world time record and won a gold medal for the 1500m freestyle.
Next up, she will compete in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay on Thursday, August 1, at 4:03 p.m. On Friday, August 2, at approximately 5:52 a.m., she’ll race the second heat for the women’s 800m freestyle. If she qualifies, she’ll race for that historic gold medal on Saturday, August 3, at around 3:08 p.m.
What an incredible chance to see history unfold before our very eyes. We’ll be cheering for Katie Ledecky for sure!
Published: Aug 1, 2024 11:37 am