– I try not to think too much about history, says Ledecky according to the website Swimswam.
With her 13 medals, she left teammates Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Nathalie Coughlin as well as Australian Emma McKeon, who all won twelve Olympic medals in swimming.
– These are people I looked up to when I started swimming. So it’s an honor to be mentioned among them, said Ledecky, whose USA was 2.78 behind winning Australia who had 7.38.08 in winning time.
Can touch the overall Olympic record
Ledecky has 800 meters left to swim on Saturday and can then win her ninth Olympic gold and tie Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s total Olympic gold record for women in any sport. The Soviet woman who ravaged 60-70 years ago won a total of 18 Olympic medals and is the best woman in history with that record.
27-year-old Ledecky has declared that she will try to compete in her home Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Michael Phelps holds the male record with 28 Olympic medals (23 gold) – regardless of sport.
