At the recent Tokyo Olympics, 24-year-old American swimming star Katie Ledecky was adamant that she wasn’t even thinking of retiring, but was moving in full swing for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and possibly Los Angeles in 2028 as well. .
He confirmed these words prominently on Wednesday morning by announcing that he would be leaving his Stanford training base to move to the University of Florida, where he will train with trainer Anthony Nesty and his world-class men’s distance and middle distance team. swimmers, including double Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke.
“Stanford has been my second home for the past five years. It will always have a special place in my heart. After completing my degree this year, I am moving east to be closer to home and family, “he tweeted.
“I decided to train at the University of Florida with trainer Anthony Nesty and the outstanding distance and mid-distance training group there. I am looking forward to seizing the opportunities and challenges that await me in the next phase of my swimming career.
“My years at Stanford have been nothing short of incredible. I am so grateful to my coach Greg Meehan, as well as my teammates, professors, friends and everyone in the wider Palo Alto / Menlo Park area who have supported me over the years. ”
Ledecky, the most decorated swimmer in history, won two gold and two silver medals in July in Tokyo. She won the 800m freestyle for the third consecutive Olympics and the first edition of the women’s 1,500 freestyle. She won a silver medal in the highly anticipated 400 free against Australian Ariarne Titmus, who won gold, as well as anchoring the US team to silver in the 4×200 free relay.
With 10 Olympic medals in total, Ledecky is now one of only seven swimmers to have reached that milestone in their Olympic careers and her six individual gold medals are more than any other woman in Olympic swimming history.
However, when she finished in Tokyo, she immediately faced questions about whether she would retire from the sport.
“I laughed at the retirement thing today because I was surprised that word came out because I think I made it pretty clear that 2024 is in the picture for me,” she said at a post-race press conference in Tokyo. . “I would prefer 2028, but I want to make it clear that I don’t promise anything.
“I want to go to Paris and I want to continue representing our country at this level. It would be an honor to go to a fourth edition and it would be an honor to go to a fifth and compete at home. I know how unique and special it is to people who manage to do it. It’s out there. Maybe I’ll be alone in the stands in Los Angeles, who knows? ”
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