Katie Ledecky Becomes Most Decorated U.S. Female Olympian of All Time

By

Mary Cunningham, CBS News

Katie Ledecky is now the most decorated U.S. female athlete in Olympic history. 

The 27-year-old D.C.-area native broke records at La Défense Arena in Paris on Thursday after earning her 13th Olympic medal during the women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay. 

This is the swimmer's fourth silver medal. She also holds eight gold medals, tying her with American swimmer Jenny Thompson, and one bronze.

Team USA finished second behind Australia, which was favored to win the gold medal. China came in third for bronze.

The last time the U.S. women's team won gold in this event was during the 2016 Rio Games. They came close again at the 2020 Games in Tokyo but had to settle for silver, after China beat them in a neck-and-neck race.

It marks a huge milestone for Ledecky, who has stunned audiences since her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games. 

Ledecky, just 15 at the time, left a lasting impression after defeating reigning world champion Kate Ziegler in the 800m freestyle to win gold.

She continued to captivate sport fans at the 2016 and 2020 Games, racking up nine more medals, for a total of 10 going into this year's Games.  

Ledecky has continued to dominate in Paris. Prior to Thursday's victory, she won a bronze medal in the women's 400-meter freestyle and gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle, her signature event. And the swim legend broke her own record in the 1,500-meter event, finishing 10 seconds before competitor Anastasiia Kirpichnikova of France with an Olympic record time of 15:30.02.

"I just wanted to swim a time I could be really happy with, and that was the one. It's never easy to win a gold medal. Just trying to soak in every moment of it," she said after that race.

Throughout her career, Ledecky has broken 14 world and 37 national records.

After Team USA's triumph Thursday, Ledecky now holds the record for the most medals in women's Olympic swimming history, surpassing Americans Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin and Australian Emma McKeon, who each hold 12 medals. 

American swimmer Michael Phelps has the most Olympic medals of any athlete, with 23 gold medals, three silver and two bronze.

Ledecky isn't finished yet. She is set to compete again in Paris during the women's 800-meter freestyle final. The freestyle heats will start Friday at 5 a.m. ET and the finals will take place the following day at 3:08 p.m.

This story was originally published by CBS News on Aug. 1, 2024. 

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