NANTERRE, France — Katie Ledecky secured her 12th career medal by winning gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle on Wednesday, tying Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin for the most medals ever by an American female swimmer.
Ledecky’s victory, achieved in record time, earned her eighth career gold medal, matching Thompson’s record for the most gold medals by any female swimmer in Olympic history.
Although Ledecky mentioned she doesn’t often think about her place in history, she expressed admiration for the fellow athletes whose records she has matched.
“Those women that I’m up there with now, they’re people that I’ve looked up to for so many years,” Ledecky said after the race. “I consider many of them friends and supporters. They’re people I watched when I was just starting out in the sport, so it’s very special to me to share that with them, and they’ve definitely inspired me.”
Ledecky’s Olympic Journey:
– London 2012: Gold in 800m freestyle
– Rio 2016: Gold in 200m freestyle, Gold in 4x200m freestyle relay, Gold in 400m freestyle, Gold in 800m freestyle, Silver in 4x100m freestyle relay
– Tokyo 2020: Gold in 1,500m freestyle, Gold in 800m freestyle, Silver in 4x200m freestyle relay, Silver in 400m freestyle
– Paris 2024: Gold in 1,500m freestyle, Bronze in 400m freestyle
Upon completing the 1,500-meter freestyle with a time of 15:30.02, Ledecky celebrated enthusiastically, a rare display of emotion.
“Yeah, I was just happy with the time and just happy with how it felt,” she said. “Any gold medal, it’s not easy to win. So I’m just trying to appreciate it, appreciate the moment. I don’t mean to celebrate that much, but it comes out, the happiness and the joy, it just comes out.”
Australian swimmer Emma McKeon also has 12 career medals — six gold, two silver, and four bronze — and shares the record with Ledecky, Thompson, Coughlin, and Torres for the most podium appearances by a female swimmer.
Thompson earned her medals in Athens (2004), Sydney (2000), Atlanta (1996), and Barcelona (1992). Ledecky, 27, added to her accolades after previous successes in Tokyo, Rio (2016), and London (2012).
Coughlin has three golds, four silvers, and five bronzes from Athens, Beijing (2008), and London (2012). Torres won four of each medal in Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Sydney, and Beijing.
Ledecky still has opportunities to add to her medal count as she competes in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay on Thursday and the 800-meter freestyle on Friday at Paris La Défense Arena.
Ledecky earned her first bronze medal last Saturday, finishing third in the 400-meter freestyle to gold medalist Ariarne Titmus of Australia and runner-up Summer McIntosh of Canada.
McKeon achieved her 12th overall medal as part of Australia’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team that won gold last Saturday.
French national hero Léon Marchand also shared the spotlight on Wednesday night, winning two gold medals about two hours apart in dramatic fashion.
In the 200 butterfly, Marchand set an Olympic record time and made a strong push in the final 50 meters to overcome silver medalist Kristóf Milák of Hungary, who held the previous Olympic mark and world record. Marchand then capped the evening by winning the 200 breaststroke, also in Olympic record time, spurred on by a roaring French crowd.
While many elite athletes say they block out crowd noise, Marchand embraced every decibel, particularly during his chase of Milák.
“I wasn’t ignoring it. I was really trying to listen to what was happening,” he said. “I could hear the whole pool just going crazy. I think that’s why I was able to win that race, really use that energy from the crowd.”