American swimmer Katie Ledecky has become the United States’ most decorated woman in the history of the Olympics after winning silver in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay on Thursday night at the Paris Games to reach an overall 13th Olympic medal.
In the day prior, Ledecky matched the previous 12-Olympic medal tally held by Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin after winning her eighth Olympic gold medal and 12th overall in the women’s 1500-metre freestyle on Wednesday.
No other female swimmer of any nationality has won more than 12, either — and the silver medal win on Thursday meant the 27-year-old has become the most successful female swimmer in the history of the Olympics.
“I try not to think about history very much,” Ledecky said Wednesday after tying them. “I know those names, those people that I’m up with.
“They’re swimmers that I looked up to when I first started swimming. It’s an honour to be named among them. I’m grateful to them for inspiring me and so many great swimmers over the years in the U.S. that have helped me get to this moment.”
Meanwhile, Ledecky still has one more event to go: The women’s 800-metre freestyle on Saturday. She is the heavy favourite to win gold in the event, which will tie her with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals for any female Olympian in history.
