American swimmer Katie Ledecky has a major reason to be proud. She made history on Saturday night at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships with her gold medal win in the 800 meter freestyle race. #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos has the recap.
She now holds the record for most World Championships individual titles with 16, breaking Michael Phelps’ previous record of 15. Her total gold medal count (relays included) at the long course World Championships is 21 gold medals.
On her win in the 800 meter freestyle, Ledecky remarked, “I never dreamt of even coming to meets like this. To be here, and have a bunch of World titles, is amazing. I am loving every second and try to enjoy each moment. Now I’m done and can enjoy it with my family and friends. There are some really good competitors in all my events. Kudos to them for pushing me all the way, and pushing me each day in practice, where I think about them. It’s always a battle. I know I have to bring my best every single time.”
Ledecky on her consistency and longevity: “I think I’m pretty tough on myself, but I think I’ve found the balance between being tough on myself and having that grace. I have a really caring coach, Coach (Anthony) Nesty, and he knows when to pull me back in. I’ve got really great people around me and that’s why I’ve been able to be really consistent (in my swims).”
She has won a total of four medals in Fukuoka, Japan. These include two gold medals in the women’s 800 meter and 1,500 freestyle races respectively, a silver in the 400 meter free with a time of 3:58.73 (behind Ariarne Titmus, who broke the world record clocking 3:55.38), and silver in the women’s 4 × 200 m freestyle relay.
