American swimmer Katie Ledecky became a household name at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she clocked astonishing times in the pool and ultimately became the most decorated woman athlete at the Games. Heading into the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Ledecky had won an impressive six Olympic medals, five of which are gold - and now, after finishing second in the 400m freestyle, she can add another silver to her growing collection.
Ledecky was just 15 and the youngest member of Team USA when she took home her first gold medal in the 800m freestyle event at the 2012 Olympics in London. Four years later in Rio, she cleaned up, scoring four gold medals in the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 4x200m freestyle events. She also won a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Now, the 24-year-old is expected to compete in a total of four individual finals in Tokyo - the women's 400m, 200m, 800m, and 1,500m freestyle - as well as the 4x200m freestyle relay.
In her first event, the 400m freestyle, she finished behind Australian rival Ariarne Titmus, who first beat Ledecky at the 2019 FINA World Championships. At the time, Ledecky had been in and out of the hospital with an illness. Still, she emerged from Worlds with three medals, including a gold in the 800m freestyle, which she hasn't lost since her Olympic debut in 2012. It's safe to say you can expect to see Ledecky back atop the podium soon. -Additional reporting by Karen Snyder Duke
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