Katie Ledecky is used to getting medals, having earned 10 at the Olympics. But on Friday she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can get from the U.S. government.
Katie Ledecky reacts after setting a world record and winning the Woman's 1500m Final at the FINA Swimming World Cup in 2022.But on Friday, she will receive a different kind of medal: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can get from the U.S. government.host Juana Summers about what the medal means to her, how she is thinking about the Paris Olympics in July-August, and why she has no plans to retire after this summer.
I think, you know, I've learned a lot through the sport. And through this over a decade-long journey I've had at the international level, I've learned a lot about goal setting and dedication and resilience.Is there a lesson or a story about resilience you would share for the folks who look to you as a role model?Sure, I think one story that I think a lot of Olympic athletes would tell you is about our experience in 2020 and 2021 and the Olympics being postponed a year.
So I learned a lot about myself during that time, learned that you can adapt and you can adjust to change. And certainly, we weren't going through the worst of it during that time — I felt very lucky and fortunate to have a goal and something to work towards with the Olympics. I know that so many people during that time were suffering a lot more than we were.
Of course, some day my competitive career will come to an end and I'm not going to be looking at the clock or having a coach get my times every every set. But I think I'll always find myself going back to the pool and swimming some laps or splashing around. And it's a place that I find so much joy. As we get into the summer months, I hope that a lot of other people can find that joy and learn how to swim. It's such an important life skill. And, in my view, the greatest sport on earth, and something that you can do for the rest of your life. I hope that I'll be swimming into my 90s — I have a 98-year-old grandma, so I'm lucky to have some good genes there, and I hope that I'll be able to stay healthy and happy, and happy in the pool and happy in the water.
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