Gold medals are so synonymous with Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, it's almost jarring to see her in a setting without the shiny hardware draped around her neck. Over the last two decades, no athlete has had a greater impact on women's competitive swimming than Ledecky, who — with 10 Olympic medals, 21 World Championship titles, countless world records, and three (soon-to-be four) appearances at the Olympic Games — has transcended the sport entirely. The internet might throw the "G.
O.A.T.
" label around haphazardly, but with Ledecky, it's no exaggeration — she embodies it. In the coming weeks, Ledecky will compete on behalf of Team USA Swimming once again as she sets her sights on gold, with a focus on the 800- and 1500-meter races, where she's favored. But for the superstar athlete, this year's Games also offer an opportunity for reflection — on the history of women's sports, its evolution, and more importantly, where it still has to go.
"As I look forward to this summer, the Olympics in Paris is really a full-circle moment. The 1900 Olympic Games in Paris were the first Olympic games where women could compete; swimming was not one of those events," Ledecky says. The swimmer's efforts to support the next generation of female athletes goes far beyond her own success in the pool.
Earlier this year, Ledecky joined Athleta's Power of She Collective , a dynamic community of elite athletes (which also includes Simone Biles and Katie Zaferes) that aims to empower women and gi.