All eyes will be on seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky when the swimming competitions begin on Saturday at the Paris Olympics. The renowned swimmer will seek to add to her extensive medal collection as well as pursue a remarkable fourth consecutive gold medal finish in the 800-meter freestyle.
The 27-year-old has captured 10 Olympic medals (seven gold and three silver) and 26 world championships (21 gold and five silver). She plans to participate in the 400 meter, 800, 1500 freestyle individual events as well as the 4x200 relay team at the Summer Games.
But before Ledecky solidified herself as one of the most decorated swimmers in the world, she was a young athlete in constant pursuit of her dream. Here’s what to know about Ledecky’s upbringing, and her journey from Maryland to becoming a teenage U.S. Olympian and now revered as the greatest all-time female swimmer:
MORE: No days off mentality keeps Katie Ledecky on top of her sport
Katie Ledecky hometown
Ledecky was born in Washington, DC, but the swimming superstar was raised roughly 30 minutes outside of the nation’s capital in the suburb of Bethesda, Maryland. Her mother, Mary Gen, and older brother, Michael, were focal in her process to begin swimming at the age of six.
Michael, who attended Harvard, was a competitive swimmer in high school. However, he did not swim at the Ivy League institution. On several instances, Ledecky has credited Michael as her earliest inspiration to becoming a swimmer. Her mother was an elite freestyle swimmer at the University of New Mexico. Her father, David, is an attorney in D.C., and her uncle, John, is an avid businessman who co-owns the NHL’s New York Islanders and the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.
Ledecky, who grew up Catholic, attended Little Flower School in Maryland through the eighth grade before attending Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.
Katie Ledecky high school
Ledecky wasn’t your average high school swimmer. At Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic-based college preparatory school in Bethesda, she twice set national high school records in the 200-yard freestyle event as well as the American and US Open record in the 500-yard freestyle competition.
By the time Ledecky graduated from the school in 2015, she had already made her Olympics debut at the 2012 Summer Games in London and owned all of the school’s swimming records except for the 100-meter breaststroke.
MORE: Revisiting Katie Ledecky's first Olympic gold medal at age 15
Where did Katie Ledecky go to college?
After years of living a stone’s throw from the nation’s capital, she traded in her experiences along the eastern seaboard for sunny skies and mild temperatures of northern California when she chose to attend Stanford. Although Ledecky’s location changed, she continued to solidify herself as one of the most prolific swimmers of this generation.
After a decorated college career both in the pool and in the classroom, Ledecky completed all requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in political science from Stanford in December 2020. However, she graduated in June 2021.
Katie Ledecky college stats and records
In her two seasons at Stanford, Ledecky registered one of the most prolific resumes. She broke 15 NCAA records, 11 American records, captured eight NCAA titles and aided the Cardinal to consecutive NCAA team titles as well as two Pac-12 titles in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
As a nine-time All-American, Ledecky was also named the AP Female Athlete of the Year along with a myriad of awards for her academic success. By the time she finished at Stanford, she held records in multiple categories:
American Records
- 500-yard event
- 1000-yard event
- 1650-yard event
- 400-meter competition
- 800-meter competition
- 1500-meter freestyles competition
Stanford school records
- 200m free
- 500m free
- 1000m free
- 1650 free
- 400 free relay
- 800 free relay
MORE: Full timeline of Katie Ledecky's Olympic medals, records and more
How old was Katie Ledecky in first Olympics?
At 15, Ledecky made her Olympics debut at the 2012 Summer Games in London. She earned a stunning victory on the world’s biggest stage, winning a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:14.63. Her time was good enough to break Janet Evans’ American record (8:16.22) that had previously stood since 1989.
