Katie Ledecky
At 19 years of age, Ledecky has been going about a task of breaking records in a way that can be described with just one word – ruthless. One of the few Olympic swimmers in the world who have had the luxury of finishing their swim, turning around and patiently waiting for their competitors to finish what she did many seconds ago, Ledecky has three golds and a team silver at Rio already.
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Having broken the 800 meter freestyle Olympic record last night, Ledecky is the firm favourite for the medal. But whether she is winning (which is often) or gearing up for a hotly contested race, Ledecky is eerily calm and centred.
And that’s apparently because she, as devout Catholic, has been saying the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer before each race ever since she began.
She told CNS News, “I do say a prayer – or two – before any race. The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer and I find that it calms me.” Ledecky has studied at Little Flower School in Bethesda and then Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart – to both of which she credits her faith-based education.
Before each race, Katie also subjects her mind to some pretty intense visualisation. “I can see myself at different points of the race,” she said in a press conference.
