Katie Ledecky Biography

Fast Facts

• At age 15, she was the youngest American competitor at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London
• Won a gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 Olympics, breaking Janet Evans' American record in the event, which stood since 1989
• Won five gold medals at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia, including a near-sweep of the freestyle events (200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m) and set two new world records (in the 800m and 1500m, respectively)
• Deferred enrollment at Stanford University in order to focus on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
• At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, won golds in the 200m free, 400m free and 800m free, the 4x200m relay, and a silver as part of the 4x100m freestyle relay
• Volunteers with the Wounded Warrior Project at the Walter Reed Bethesda Naval Medical Center