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Relief seemed to be the first emotion Katie Ledecky felt after she touched the finish line to claim her first Olympic gold medal. She rebounded from a disappointing finish in the 200m freestyle to win her first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the 1500m event. After becoming the first-ever women's 1500m freestyle gold medalist at the Olympics, she shed tears of happiness at the end of the race.
Katie Ledecky won by a comfortable 4.07 seconds ahead of silver medalist and compatriot Erica Sullivan, followed by Germany's Sarah Kohler, who won bronze. Ledecky swam 24 laps to win her first Tokyo Olympics gold in 15:37.34.
Speaking to reporters after winning her first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, a visibly emotional Katie Ledecky said,
“Ive gone to children's hospitals, and met wounded warriors and their faces light up when they see the gold medal. That means more to me than anything. The ability to put a smile on someone's face and I really just wanted to get a gold medal to have that opportunity again.”
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Katie Ledecky opened up about the pressure of being Olympians and her attitude
While many predicted Katie Ledecky would face strong competition in the 200m free, only a few might have expected her to finish fifth.
“After that tough 200 free, I was forming down and just kind of went blank for a little bit but then was just trying to find some positive things to get me moving forward.”
She shared that thinking of her grandparents gave her a positive mindset and confidence while swimming. She said that they are the toughest people she knows and that's what helped her get through the race.
Katie also shed light on the pressure athletes face when performing on the highest stage after US Gymnastics star Simone Biles decided to pull out of the team event to focus on her mental health.
“I understand that we are at the highest level. We have the most eyes on us. The Team USA swimmers certainly support her. Mental health is so important, physical health is so important, and it's no different being Olympians.”
An athlete's attitude plays a vital role in their performance. When asked about her attitude while swimming, Katie said,
“Thats the attitude I always has and that's why I swim so fast in season and that's why I've been so successful over the years which is because I approach every single race with the attitude that anything can happen, that I can break a world record.”
She further added,
“That's the kind of pressure I put on myself. That's the kind of confidence that I try to build up in training when I step behind the blocks that I can do something special and it's a real blessing and a curse that I have that attitude. It's what served me so well over the years and it's why I've broken so many world records and swam so many fast times and it's also a really hard attitude to maintain for nine years.”
While fans were kept away from the event due to the pandemic, chants of "USA" took over the venue after Katie Ledecky won the first ever 1500m freestyle event held at the Olympics.
