Support truly
independent journalism
A few moments discussing Katie Ledecky’s exhausting training regime will leave you wanting to sit down for a cup of tea and nap.
The greatest long-distance swimmer of all-time – who arrives at her fourth Games with 10 medals, including seven golds – breaks every single French labour law.
A 35-hour working week? No chance.
A minimum daily rest of 11 consecutive hours between two working periods? Behave.
A five-day week? Sacré bleu.
Ledecky spends 20 hours a week grinding relentlessly up and down the pool, stroke after stroke, length after length with nothing but her thoughts for company. Then there are the hours in the gym, followed by forensic attention to her diet, which includes two lunches and a lot of eggs.
Ledecky – who made her Olympic debut in London aged 15 – will go for gold in three individual freestyle events in Paris, aiming for a fourth consecutive 800m title and to defend her 1500m crown.
But first it’s a showdown this weekend with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh over 400m – live on Discovery+ – that is already being dubbed swimming’s “race of the century”.
It’s two decades since the last race which had that billing when Ian Thorpe, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps contested a thrilling 200m freestyle final in Athens, coming home in that order, separated by fractions.
Ledecky is playing down her chances over the shorter distance – three years after Titmus won in Tokyo in a thriller, her first individual loss at the Games. And Macintosh, just 17, views the 800m as her greater medal chance, ending the American’s 13-year undefeated run in that event earlier this year.
“I like my chances, but that’s me,” said Ledecky. “I feel like I’m prepared and ready to race and that’s all you can ask for. It’s obviously a great field, top to bottom there are lots of people that have a chance.”
Ledecky certainly lacks the air of invincibility she once had and admits to recalibrating her ambitions for the days ahead, while steadfastly refusing to share what they are.
“When you get older, whatever you do, you set new goals for yourself,” she added. “I never thought I’d make one Olympics, so just to be here at a fourth is something to be celebrated.
“When I think about my career the thing that makes me most proud is probably how consistent that I’ve been. It helps that I enjoy training and I’m at a stage when I’m just grateful and appreciative for what I have. I’ve been doing this a long-time and I’ve stayed pretty healthy and injury-free.”
Three years on from Tokyo, Ledecky’s battles look more fierce, while her sport is facing a more existential crisis.
Chinese swimmers will be drug-tested twice as much as other nations, after reports that 23 swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication trimetazidine in Tokyo but were still controversially cleared to compete.
Phelps – the greatest swimmer of all time – has been a vocal critic of the failure of authorities to enforce their own polices and the row simmers beneath the azure blue pool at La Defense Arena.
What’s clear is there is a leadership vacuum in the roles designed to keep sport clean, if Ledecky – a famous ‘planner’ – was thinking long-term, she may consider putting her name forward.
“I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week. But what really matters is, are they training clean? Everyone’s heard what the athletes think, they want transparency,” added Ledecky.
“Athletes want answers to the questions that still remain but, right now, we’re here to race whoever is next to us. We aren’t the ones paid to do testing; we’ve just got to hope those people are following the rules. We all want to see some change for the future so that you don’t have to ask us the questions.”
Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics.
