Katie Ledecky hoping to beat 57-year-old world record at Tokyo Olympics 

Katie Ledecky is the name on everyone’s lips ahead of the Tokyo Olympics this July, with the 24-year-old American swimmer being tipped to break several more records at the Games.

The 1500m event for women, in which Ledecky holds the world record, will be held at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time. She is also the world record holder in the 400m and 800m events and currently holds five golds and one silver at the Olympics.

“I’m targeting the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle and I’d love to be on the 4x200 relay in Tokyo as well,” Ledecky said.

The upcoming Olympics gives her a chance to bag five more golds and bring her total tally to 10 gold medals. The current record of nine golds by a woman has been held by Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina since 1964.

Katie Ledecky’s coach, Bruce Gemmell, has been coaching her since 2012 and is still fascinated by the difference between her physique and the other athletes.

"The findings are remarkably unremarkable. If you look at the international award stands, she’s usually the shortest one up there,” observes Gemmell.

But it won’t necessarily be all smooth sailing for the talented freestyle swimmer as the 200m and 1500m heats will be held in the same session. Even the finals for both the events are supposed to be held in the same session, a day after the heats.

Katie Ledecky herself isn’t quite sure how the new protocols might affect events. She is preparing for all the different changes that may be expected so she isn’t caught by surprise. She accepts that it will look and be different at the actual Games and is working even harder to cope with the changes.

Katie Ledecky’s wish to pursue formal education

The COVID-19 forced the Olympics to be delayed by a year, but it didn’t stop Katie Ledecky from making use of the time. She managed to complete her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Stanford. The 24-year-old confessed that it wouldn’t have been possible until at least late 2021, if not later, had the Olympics not been postponed.

Katie Ledecky and her family have been outspoken about the importance of education and continually try to encourage young students to pursue STEM fields. Even Ledecky herself isn’t stopping after the Bachelor’s degree as she wants to continue her studies in law or business in the near future.

Katie Ledecky hasn’t decided which field to pursue, but she says:

“I want to explore some of these interests that I’ve developed over the last couple of years."