Why the rumors floating around Katie Ledecky are baseless and demeaning

No, Katie Ledecky is not transgender. The rumors around her gender are demeaning to both Ledecky herself and to transgender athletes.

Ledecky has been in very good form recently, winning four medals at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship. She even surpassed Michael Phelps's record of winning the most individual gold medals at the event. However, on the back of her resounding achievements, came rumors about her gender.

An LGBTQ researcher recently took to social media to show that the search listings on Google were boosted by articles that falsely accused Ledecky of being a transgender athlete.

The topic of transgender athletes taking part in female sports, especially in America, has been a hotly debated one thanks to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who has achieved success while competing against female athletes.

On the other hand, Katie Ledecky, for those who care, is not. But it is a question that should not have come up in the first place. Anyone accusing the 26-year-old of being a trans person is doing a massive disservice to her athletic prowess and achievements.

Ledecky has time and time again proved how good she is. Fans would be better off appreciating her for the talent she has displayed, rather than looking to undermine her achievements by wondering if it was biology that made Ledecky the great swimmer she is.

---

Katie Ledecky is the first athlete to win five world titles across two different categories

Katie Ledecky at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship.

Katie Ledecky won two gold medals at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship, in the women's 800m freestyle and the women's 1500m freestyle. She also won two silver medals in the women's 400m freestyle and women's 4x200m freestyle.

In all, she has won 16 individual gold medals at the championships, overtaking Michael Phelp for the most individual gold medals won at the event.

Ledecky is also the first athlete to win five titles in two different categories at the event: 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle.

On July 29, 2023, the 26-year-old clinched gold in the women's 800m freestyle with a time of 8:08.87. This was her sixth triumph in the category at the championships, after 2013 (Barcelona), 2015 (Kazan), 2017 (Budapest), (Gwangju), and 2022 (Budapest).

Four days before that, on July 25, Ledecky won a gold medal in women's 1500m freestyle, adding to her gold medals in the category from 2013 (Barcelona), 2015 (Kazan), 2017 (Budapest), and 2022 (Budapest).