List of American swimmers to qualify for four editions of Olympic Games ft. Katie Ledecky, Ryan Lochte

Modified Jun 16, 2024 15:21 GMT

Katie Ledecky joined an elite list of swimmers on Saturday, June 15 after qualifying for her fourth Olympic Games at the U.S. Swimming Olympic Team Trials 2024. She became the only eighth and fourth female American to do so.

Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle in a blistering 3:58.35 to secure her place at the Paris Olympics 2024. Earlier, the 27-year-old won the prelims in 3:59.99. She will also swim in the 200-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle and 1500-meter freestyle.

American swimmers to qualify for four editions of Olympics

#1 Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps made his first Olympic appearance at the 2000 Summer Games. While he didn't win any medals in 2000, the swimming great went on to win six gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games.

He won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, and in his fourth Olympic appearance at London 2012, he added four more gold medals to his name. Phelps won five more gold medals in his fifth appearance at the Rio Olympics 2016.

#2 Dara Torres

Dara Torres was the first female swimmer to qualify for five Olympic Games. She won four gold medals in the five appearances in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008 Summer Games. Torres also boasts four silver and bronze medals each in her five Olympic appearances

#3 Alisson Schmitt

Alisson Schmitt made her first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Summer Games, winning a silver in 4x200m freestyle. She featured in three more successive Olympic Games in 2008 London, 2016 Rio, and 2000 Tokyo, winning four gold medals in those competitions. Schmitt also won three silver and bronze medals each.

#4 Jason Lezak

Jason Lezak competed in four Olympic Games in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. He won his first gold medal in 2000 and before his retirement, Lezak amassed a total of four gold medals, and two silver and bronze medals each.

#5 Jenny Thompson

Jenny Thompson is the most decorated female Olympic swimmer in history, with eight gold medals. She participated in four Olympic Games in 1992,1996,2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. Thompson also boasts three silver medals and a bronze, taking her tally to twelve Olympic medals.

#6 Amanda Beard

Amanda Beard is one of the four female American swimmers to qualify for four Olympic Games. She made her first appearance in the 1996 Summer Games and went on to compete at the 2000,2004 and 2008 Olympic Games as well. Beard won a total of seven medals in her Olympic career: two gold, four silver, and one bronze.

#7 Ryan Lochte

Ryan Lochte has taken part in four Olympic Games, with his first dating back to the 2004 Summer Games. Lochte also participated in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics, amassing six gold medals, and three silver and bronze medals each.

#8 Katie Ledecky

The 2012 Summer Games marked the first Olympic appearance of Katie Ledecky, where she won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle. She has competed at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics as well, amassing seven gold and three silver medals.

Ledecky qualified for her fourth Olympic Games on June 15. 2024 and would look to become the most decorated female swimmer of all time at the Paris Olympics 2024, needing two gold medals to do so.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh