Katie Ledecky continued to add to her incredible legacy on Thursday at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Thanks to Team USA’s silver medal in the 4X200 meter freestyle relay, Ledecky was able to collect her 13th Olympic medal.
That now makes her the most decorated women’s athlete in American history.
Ledecky swam the third leg of Thursday’s relay, finishing it in 1:54.93.
On Wednesday Ledecky won the 1,500 freestyle by posting an Olympic record to give her eight career Olympic golds and 12 total medals.
That moved her into a tie with Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin for the most medals in American women’s Olympic history. Thursday’s relay put her in sole possession of first place.
She has a chance to add to her total this weekend when she competes in the 800 freestyle.
When it comes to Ledecky’s greatness, it is not just about the number of medals she has accumulated in her career. She is also one of the most dominant Olympians ever with the way she wins.
It is not uncommon to watch her races where she is the only person on camera in the pool because she is so far ahead of every other competitor. That was the case with Wednesday’s 1500 race.
The 27-year-old might not be done with the Paris games, either. She has said repeatedly that she is eyeing the 2028 games in Los Angeles where she would have an opportunity to keep adding to her total.