Katie Ledecky opens up to CNN about her plans for when she stops competing one day

CNN

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — Swimming superstar Katie Ledecky is still only 27 and has many more years of racing ahead of her. But, inevitably, her reign of dominance will have to end one day.

It’s hard to imagine given how brilliant she was at this year’s Paris Olympics, where she won four medals – two gold, one silver and one bronze.

On Wednesday, though, the American swimmer told CNN Sport’s Coy Wire that she wants to stay involved in the sport for as long as possible, even after retiring.

“I just love the pool, love the water, love telling people how great our sport is. Getting people in the pool to learn how to swim, that’s really important to me,” she said.

Given she is one of the greatest swimmers in history – not to mention the most decorated female US Olympian of all time – few would be better placed to take up a coaching role in Team USA.

However, having seen the sacrifices her own team make to help her achieve her dreams, she’s unsure whether a career as a coach is for her. Although, she didn’t totally rule it out.

“I’ll always be attached to swimming in some respect,” Ledecky added to CNN.

“I have a lot of respect for my coaches and the time and the hours and the hard work that they put in. So I don’t know if I can do what they do, they’re great.”

Paris atmosphere

A number of athletes have praised the special atmosphere created by thousands of fans at this year’s Olympics, but few venues can compete with Paris’ La Défense Arena, which hosted the swimming events.

Ledecky helped create some of those magical moments with her brilliant performances in the pool.

She said the atmosphere in Paris was made all the more impressive considering the lack of crowds in Tokyo three years ago due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“The energy here in Paris has been incredible,” she added.

“It’s great to have family and friends back at the Olympics after not being there in Tokyo. It’s just been a great environment, a great atmosphere. “It’s very special to share the moments after competition with all them, get to celebrate and soak in a little bit of Paris.”

Being with her family allowed Ledecky to remember all the sacrifices her parents made growing up to make her swimming dreams a reality – mostly the early mornings.

The American paid tribute to those early years when her parents would wake up at the crack of dawn to ferry their child to training.

“We had early morning practices when I was in middle school, high school. Some of those practices would start at 4:45 a.m.,” she told Wire. “My parents would be up at 4 a.m., make me a quick breakfast, drive me to the pool, and definitely sacrifice some hours of sleep.”

“They were just great sports about it all, it was never a sacrifice to them, they were just supporting me and supporting my goals.”

Successful family tree

Ledecky comes from a family of high-achievers. Her father David is a Harvard-educated lawyer; her mother Mary Gen was a collegiate swimmer. Her uncle Jon co-owns the NHL’s New York Islanders, while her brother also graduated from Harvard.

That background, along with her experiences at Stanford, helped push her to the heights she has achieved.

The American studied psychology at the famed university and told Wire that the experience has helped her excel in the pool, as well as everyday life.

“Every day at Stanford, I was inspired by the work that the professors were doing, my fellow students, just everyone there was striving for excellence every day,” she said.

“I found that on my swim team, found that in my dorm, everywhere I was, so I’ve tried to take that beyond Stanford as well and just try to be around great people everyday.”

Needless to say that Ledecky excelled on the Stanford swim team where she won eight NCAA titles and set an impressive 15 NCAA records.

Stanford, naturally, hasn’t forgotten about Ledecky either. The famous “Stanford Tree” – the university’s mascot – was in Paris and posed for a picture with the legendary swimmer.

This story has been updated with additional reporting

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CNN’s Aimee Lewis contributed to this report.