Chao News client reporter Zhang Feng intern Wang Linqi
In the early morning of August 4, Beijing time, the swimming event of the Paris Olympics ended the competition for the women's 800-meter freestyle final, and United States's Kate · Ledecky won the championship in 8:11.04, not only winning the second gold of this Olympic Games, but also achieving the fourth consecutive Olympic championship in the women's 800-meter freestyle.
In the previous women's 1500m freestyle final, Ledecky won gold in 15:30.02 and broke her own Olympic record. So far, Ledecky has won a total of 9 golds, 4 silvers and 1 bronze in the four Olympic Games since the London Olympics, with a total of 14 Olympic medals, and the total number of gold medals is on par with the former Soviet Union gymnast Larissa · Ratnisa, tied for the most gold medals in Olympic history.
Source: The official website of the Paris Olympic Games
Ledecky is absolutely dominant and super strong in the middle and long distance freestyle, and can be far ahead of the others. During the women's 1500m freestyle final, for a period of time, Ledecky could only be seen in the TV camera, and finally led the second place by 10.33 seconds, which made many opponents feel almost desperate.
"A queen is a queen." "The woman who swam the fastest on the surface." Chinese netizens also expressed their feelings and admiration on social media.
How strong is Ledecky? Before the Paris Olympics, she had won 7 Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship titles, and as the world record holder in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, she was known as the "nuclear girl" and "queen of freestyle" in the world swimming world, and was one of the greatest athletes in the history of swimming.
United States veteran swimmer Lochte, who has 11 Olympic medalists, once described her as "She swam like a man, and I've never seen a female swimmer like her, she flew past me, and I could only freeze there." ”
Source: The official website of the Paris Olympic Games
In 2012, at the age of 15, Ledecky made his Olympic debut in London, winning the gold medal in the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:14.63, second only to Rebecca ·'s world record of 8:14.10 set at Beijing 2008.
The "Talented Girl" was born out of nowhere and shocked the world swimming world, but Ledecky himself has maintained his original intention and has stuck to it to this day, "I never thought I would get to that point, [after London] I wanted to prove that I was not a flash in the pan. But at the same time, I remind myself that anything that comes after that is the icing on the cake, and that's the mindset I've always maintained. This is also the secret of Ledecky's ability to be "evergreen" for the next 12 years.
Four years later, she became one of the brightest athletes on the Olympic stage in Rio de Janeiro, winning four gold medals, a silver medal and breaking two world records, the most outstanding single Olympic performance by a United States female athlete in a gold medal. In the women's 800m freestyle final at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, Ledecky defended her title again with a time of 8:12.57, becoming the first female athlete to win gold in this event for three consecutive Olympic Games.
On May 3 of this year, Ledecky was awarded the United States President's Medal of Freedom at the White House as "the most decorated female swimmer in history," the highest honor for United States civilians. Previously, she has won dozens of honorary titles such as "FINA Swimmer of the Year", "Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year", "Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People", "Golden Goggle Female Athlete of the Year" and so on.
Source: The official website of the Paris Olympic Games
The birth of a "talented girl" in the swimming world is inseparable from her family environment. Born in Washington, D.C., United States in 1997, Ledecky was the daughter of a former swimmer at the University of New Mexico and an older brother who also learned to swim, and she began swimming at the age of six.
Ledecky admired Phelps since she was a child, and she would often run to her idol's autograph session and make him her goal. In high school, she showed unparalleled swimming talent, setting the 500-yard freestyle record at the National Open twice and the national 200-yard freestyle record for high school seniors.
After graduating from high school, she successfully attended Stanford University and received an athletic scholarship. While studying at Stanford University, Ledecky continued to shine and make a name for himself nationally. She has won eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships and set an astonishing 15 records, winning back-to-back NCAA team championships and two consecutive Pac-12 Conference team championships with her team.
Ledecky loves to push her limits, and according to the swimmer herself, that's the "secret" to how she has always been competitive. "I feel like I'm enjoying the sport more every year, I'm proud to be able to keep this competitiveness consistently, and I'm going to motivate myself to keep that staying power." Ledecky said at a press conference for the United States Olympic Trials.
From the age of 15 to 27, Ledecky has witnessed the birth of the "Queen of Swimming" in 12 years, and in the future, can she create new miracles? Can you see her again in Los Angeles? Let's wait and see.
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