Who is Katie Ledecky's coach and where does she train? All about the Olympic champion's swimming mentor

American swimming icon Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimming athletes in the world, with ten Olympic medals and 26 world championship titles. The Washington, D.C., native added one more Olympic medal to her kitty at the ongoing Paris Olympics, where she bagged a bronze in the women's 400m freestyle on Sunday. The 27-year-old is also a heavy favorite for golds in her marquee 800m and 1500m freestyle events.

In a pro career spanning over 12 years, Katie Ledecky worked with many legendary coaching figures like Greg Meehan during her stint at Stanford University before shifting to the University of Florida for Paris Olympics preparations, where Anthony Nesty took over the charge of her coach in 2021, and the two have been working together for three years now.

Who is Anthony Nesty

Swimming, 1988 Summer Olympics - Source: Getty

Anthony Nesty is a well-established swimmer who has represented the Republic of Suriname at three straight Olympic events from 1984 to 1992. Nesty secured a gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics while competing in the 100m butterfly. After becoming the Olympic champion, Nesty remained unbeaten in the 100m butterfly domain for three years on the trot. The swimmer secured bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 100mbutterfly.

The 'firsts' of Nesty's swimming career

Anthony Nesty is the only Olympic medalist for Suriname, and he was also the first Black male swimmer and the second Black swimmer to win individual Olympic medals in swimming back in the day.

His coaching career

Nesty joined the Florida Gators at the University of Florida as the assistant men's coach, and then the 56-year-old went on to become the head coach of the women's team at the facility on April 13, 2021. Furthermore, in 2023, Nesty was given the responsibility to coach the U.S. men's swimming team at the Paris Olympics and became the first Black head coach of the men's team at the Olympics.

His association with Katie Ledecky

Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 1 - Source: Getty

After the conclusion of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Katie Ledecky moved to the University of Florida from Stanford University, where Anthony Nesty took over as her coach the same year. The transition was made by Ledecky to prepare for the Paris Olympics more effectively.

"I think the first year of the program, you’re kind of getting your feel for the training, the different sets, and the different weekly schedule." Ledecky had said in 2023, talking about the changes in her swimming camp (as quoted by Olympics.com).

Under his guidance, Ledecky has already won the first medal at the French Games and is expected to win several more in the coming weeks.