Katie Ledecky firmly planted her feet.
Swim cap? Snug on her head.
Goggles? Tight over her eyes.

She bent down into her starting position, fingers gripping the edge of the platform as she looked out at the calm water of the Olympic size swimming pool. That surface wouldn’t be calm for long!

Katie heard the buzz of the starting horn. As if by instinct, she dove – exploding into her swim lane. For a few strong kicks, longer than you’d think would be possible, she stayed underwater. Then, she bobbed her head up for breath – just like a dolphin!

This race was her specialty: the 800 meter freestyle.

Katie had once broken the world record in this event, swimming faster than anyone ever had before! But that was almost 12 years ago.

Now, at 28, many of her peers had already retired. Plenty of people thought it was time for her to retire, too. But Katie knew she had something special inside of her. Sailing through the water, she felt the electricity in her muscles as her limbs propelled her forward.

She was determined to once again show the world that she was the fastest woman in the water.

I’m Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, an Olympic swimmer, public health researcher, and mom to a rebel girl. And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls.

A fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us.

On this episode, the greatest woman swimmer of all time: Katie Ledecky.

Katie grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. Her family was always very active. Katie’s mom loved to be in the water and swam competitively in college. Soon, Katie’s older brother started swimming too. Despite so many swimmers in the family, Katie didn’t feel pressured to swim. When she saw how much her brother was enjoying himself, she wanted to join in the fun! She couldn’t wait to practice different strokes, and make friends along the way. So, when she was six years old, Katie joined a swim team.

During her first race, Katie set a big goal for herself: Swim to the other side of the 25-yard-long pool without stopping. She heard her parents cheering for her as she kicked her legs and waved her arms. Flying through the water she thought to herself, “I can do this.” In no time at all, she was touching the wall on the other side.

Katie felt like a natural in the water, and wore her swimsuit like a second skin. She loved the thrill of competition, the sound of her family cheering her on, and the joy of friendship with her teammates. In race after race, she set goals for herself. Could she beat kids who were older and faster than her? And in race after race, she did! She was getting better and stronger, working her way into bigger and BIGGER swim meets.
Katie was eager to put in the work to be the best. Her dad would drive her to practice at 5 am, the two of them rocking out to Bruce Springsteen to wake themselves up! Then, Katie would push herself at practice, always focused on her goals. Afterwards, her mom would pick her up, bring her breakfast to eat in the car, and drop her off at school. Katie was happy to have so much time in the pool, and loved this extra time with her parents.

In no time, the family was driving all around the country to different swim meets. In 2011, Katie won three different freestyle swimming events at the Speedo Junior National Championships. But she wasn’t in it for the trophies. She just wanted to accomplish her next goal, and have fun while she did it.

The very next year, she qualified for the Olympic trials. She was 15 years old and had just finished her freshman year of high school. But if she raced fast enough, she would have her shot at the Olympics!

All the fastest swimmers from across the country were invited to a special competition in Omaha, Nebraska. Katie pulled on her swimcap, and dove into the pool, racing against the fastest swimmers in the country! With strong strokes and powerful kicks, Katie put all of her energy into propelling herself through the water.

And… she did it! Katie was going to the Olympics! And it was her fastest 800 meter race yet. She and her family could hardly believe it. Soon, Katie would be headed to London for the 2012 Olympics.

Katie spent the summer preparing for her Olympic debut. Feeling extra motivated, her coach helped her work hard during practices. She journaled every night in her notebook, logging what she had worked on that day, how she slept, and how nourished she felt. Being an athlete meant taking care of her mind, too.

Soon, Katie was flying on a plane across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to London, England. Even across the world, she had her family and her coach by her side. Their support meant everything.

Then, before she knew it, Katie was walking into the Olympic Village. Soon, millions of people around the world would be watching her compete. Even so, she felt invisible. She was the new kid – and the youngest of the 530 athletes representing the United States.

Luckily, Katie used that invisibility to her advantage. She felt a kind of freedom that her more seasoned competitors may not have felt. No one expected anything of her yet. She knew her family and friends would support her win or lose. But as usual, Katie had big goals for herself. Just like she did at six-years-old when she set her sights on the other side of the pool. She told herself: I can do this.

Katie walked into the swim arena to find an audience buzzing with excitement. She felt energized by the crowd and excited to race the fastest women in the world in the women’s 800 freestyle final. Just like always, her parents were in the crowd cheering her on. The international audience included British royalty, too – even Prince William and Princess Kate were looking out over the Olympic swimming pool.

Katie sized up her competition. Her swim lane was next to the hometown favorite: Rebecca Adlington. Rebecca had won the gold medal four years ago, and many sports commentators thought Rebecca would win today’s race as well. She heard the crowd chant “Bec-ky, Bec-ky.” Katie didn’t let this shake her focus. She convinced herself she was hearing “Le-deck-y, Le-deck-y.” She believed in herself. She felt determined to show the world her talent.

After the starting horn, Katie shot off the platform and into the water. Her strong legs propelled her forward, her head emerging only to take sharp, deep breaths in.

Her coach’s voice echoed in her head – He’d advised her to pace herself. But Katie felt unleashed once she hit the water. Like a flash, she began to overtake the competition. As she swam, she peered through her goggles. She was about halfway through her race. She didn’t see anyone to her left, or right. She didn’t see anyone at all.

Doubt quickly rushed in: Was she doing something wrong? Where was everybody?

She told herself to just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going. Her arms pierced the water and she pressed forward.

With a few final, powerful kicks, her hands slapped the wall of the pool. Peeling off her goggles, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She was the first to touch the wall. She had won by FOUR seconds! Katie had earned a gold medal for herself and her country. On top of that, Katie was so fast that she broke a record for American women! Katie was now the fastest American woman to EVER swim the 800 meter freestyle. Not bad for a 15 year old. And Katie was just getting started.

After that, Katie’s name was all over the headlines. Sports reporters were talking about her big splash at the London Olympics. Now that she had her gold medal, she no longer felt invisible. Fans all over the world wanted to see what she would do next.

Katie felt the pressure amping up. She was ambitious and had high standards for herself. She did not want to mess up! But her coaches encouraged her to learn how to fail – and fail spectacularly!

Practice with her coach and teammates became a safe place for Katie to move outside of her comfort zone. Sometimes, that meant not quite meeting the goals she set. She realized that failing was an important step to reach your full potential. Katie realized she needed to make mistakes in order to learn. Like always, she tried to focus on enjoying the process and working toward her next milestone.

And nothing could slow Katie down. A year after winning gold, she broke two records at the World Championships in the 800 and 1500 meter freestyle. Next, she stunned the world at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics, by breaking two MORE world records in the 400 and 800 meter freestyle. Katie was now breaking records that she herself had set!

By 2020, she was 22 years old and practicing with her eye on the prize: her third Summer Olympics in Tokyo. But in March 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic put the world on pause.

Katie was crushed. She had been practicing for hours every day, journaling about her goals, and focusing her mindset. Now, nobody knew if the Tokyo Olympics would happen at all. With her swimming dreams on pause, she realized she had time to pursue her other interests.

Katie was already taking classes at Stanford University, where she swam on the swim team. Now, she had the time to become a full-time student. She majored in Psychology with a minor in Political Science. She learned from researchers who studied our brains, moods, and mental health. The work was challenging, but she was used to pushing herself. And when graduation day finally rolled around, Katie could proudly say that she had completed yet another goal.

One year later, in 2021, Katie finally made it to Tokyo for the Summer Olympics. There, she earned four more medals: two gold and two silver. This brought her total to 10 Olympic medals: seven gold and three silver.

Then in 2024, in Paris at her fourth Olympics, she clinched the win again, securing two gold medals, a silver and a bronze. Katie was unstoppable!

With her dedication and skill, Katie had now won a total of 14 Olympic medals. And with that, she became the most-decorated American woman in Olympic history! Katie was shocked and overjoyed, and her family couldn’t have been prouder.

After this enormous accomplishment, some sports fans started to think Katie might retire from competitive professional swimming. Most professional swimmers retire around her age, and she certainly had enough medals. But Katie wasn’t in it for another medal. She was in it for the thrill of a good competition, and the love of swimming.

Which brings us back to the competition in 2025. Katie was 28 years old. Her arms struck the water. She kicked at a steady, brisk pace. With her arms out in front, she broke the water and pushed it away from her. Grit and determination fueled every stroke of her arms and kick of her feet. In the stands, the crowd watching realized Katie might beat her own world record! They went wild! The other swimmers were not even close.

Katie made it to the end of the 800 meters and knew she had done it before they even announced it: She had beaten her world record by 0.67 seconds! She pumped her fist and splashed it into the water. As the crowd roared their applause, a huge grin spread across her face. Katie had broken the world record – yet again!

Throughout her career, Katie has traveled the world as a competitive swimmer, inspiring fans with her skill and tenacity. And she gives back at any opportunity she can. She became a U.S. Department of State goodwill ambassador in Tokyo, and donated swim gear to 800 kids in Japan and South Korea. She also advocated for the Refugee Olympic swim team – who were forced to flee their home counties due to war, famine or violence. Back in the United States, she volunteers as a swim coach for the University of Florida. And she always makes time to talk to young girls with big goals – because that’s who she once was!

In 2025, Katie was invited to return to Stanford to give the commencement speech at graduation. Standing proudly at the podium, she told the crowd something that years of swimming had taught her: “You just need to win your race. And winning your race means falling in love with the process. Fall in love with the process, not the podium.”

Katie reminds us that results will come in time, but the most important part is to have fun along the way. And someday, you might stop chasing others – and start chasing your own best! With enough practice and determination – and a strong support system by your side – anything is possible.

CREDITS:
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

This episode was narrated by Tara Kirk Sell. It was written and produced by Danielle Roth, and edited and directed by Haley Dapkus. Sound design and mixing by Mumble Media.

Fact checking by Sam Gebauer. Our production coordinator was Natalie Hara. Haley Dapkus was our senior producer. Our executive producers were Anjelika Temple and Jes Wolfe.

Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi.

A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Until next time, stay rebel!