Katie Ledecky vs Caeleb Dressel: Which American swimmer has won more Olympic and World Championship medals?

Katie Ledecky has secured more Olympic and World Championship medals than Caeleb Dressel. While Ledecky has bagged 10 Olympic medals, Dressels has collected seven medals from two Olympic Games.

Both American swimmers earned medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. While Ledecky began swimming at the age of six under the influence of her brother, Dressel committed to competitive swimming at the age of eight.

Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel have secured seven Olympic gold medals

Caeleb Dressel poses with the gold medal for the Men's 50m Freestyle Final at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel have secured seven gold medals at the Olympics. Ledecky made her Olympic debut at the 2012 Games as a 15-year-old and showed her prowess as a promising player after winning a gold medal in the 800m freestyle event.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she went on to secure four gold medals and a silver medal. The 27-year-old registered a world record in the 800m freestyle after recording a time of 8:04.79. She bagged three more medals in 200m, 400m, and 4x200m freestyle events. She clinched her third 800m freestyle Olympic medal in 2020 along with a gold medal in 1500m freestyle and two silver medals in 400m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle.

Dressel has secured seven gold medals in the Olympics. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he contributed to the American squad's victory in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay events. He displayed his exceptional swimming prowess at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by dominating the 50m, 100m freestyle, and 100m butterfly events.

Moreover, he also secured two gold medals in 4x100m freestyle and medley events. He holds the 100m butterfly world record which he set in Tokyo after clocking 49.45 seconds.

Katie Ledecky has earned 21 gold medals in the World Championships

U.S. President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Katie Ledecky during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on May 3, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Ledecky has secured 21 gold medals at the world championships, cementing her legacy. Following her victorious Olympic debut, she bagged four gold medals at the 2013 Barcelona World Championships in 400m, 800m 1500m, and 4x200m freestyle events.

She went on to secure five gold medals at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships. At the 2019 WC, she secured a gold in her most favored event, 800m freestyle. She has secured five WC silver medals, totaling the count to 26 WC medals.

Dressel has earned 17 World Championships medals, including 15 gold and 2 silver medals. He secured seven gold medals at the 2017 championships. Improving his performance, he went on to bag eight medals in 2019.