Extended interview: Katie Ledecky on 2024 Olympics performance, closing ceremony honor and more
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring interview, a decorated Team USA female athlete shares her Olympic experience, from the physical demands of her sport to the joy of celebrating achievements with family and friends. She reflects on her role as a trailblazer for women in sports, the camaraderie among athletes, and her journey with POTS syndrome. The athlete discusses her book 'Just Add Water,' her future aspirations, and the honor of being chosen as the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies, highlighting the importance of resilience, hard work, and the support of her team.
Takeaways
- 🏅 The athlete is enjoying the Olympics and the city atmosphere, especially being able to stay and soak it all in after their competition is done.
- 🌟 The feeling of being the most decorated female athlete of Team USA has not fully sunk in yet, but it's an honor to represent the country and win medals for Team USA.
- 💪 The athlete's neck is getting stronger from the heavy hardware and they are getting used to it, showing resilience and adaptability.
- 📚 The athlete admires the hard work of all Olympians and finds joy in celebrating their achievements, highlighting the camaraderie and mutual respect among athletes.
- 👧 The rise of female athletes and their success in various sports is a special moment, and the athlete is proud to be a part of this movement.
- 📖 The athlete has written a book, 'Just Add Water', which is a memoir of their swimming career and the support they've received throughout.
- 🤽♀️ Swimming is a tough sport that requires dedication and respect for the work of fellow athletes, which is evident in the camaraderie among swimmers.
- 🏊♀️ The athlete's POTS diagnosis is managed through careful attention to salt intake, hydration, and rest, demonstrating the ability to overcome health challenges.
- 🚩 Being chosen as the flag bearer for the closing ceremonies is a great honor, and the athlete is excited to represent the team and celebrate with them.
- 🌐 The athlete's support and inspiration come from a wide network of people, including family, friends, and coaches, who have all contributed to their success.
- 🎖️ The athlete continues to set new goals and strives for self-improvement, showing a relentless drive to get better even without immediate recognition.
Q & A
How does the athlete describe the physical sensation of wearing the heavy hardware?
-The athlete describes it as initially heavy and causing some neck strain, but mentions getting used to it and experiencing a strengthening of the neck muscles over time.
What does the athlete enjoy about the current Olympics compared to previous ones?
-The athlete enjoys being able to stay in the city after the competition to soak in the atmosphere and offerings of the Olympics, which is a first for them.
How does the athlete feel about being the most decorated female athlete of Team USA?
-The athlete expresses that it is an honor to represent the country and that the significance of being the most decorated is slowly sinking in, but they are more focused on enjoying the moment and their career.
What does the athlete admire about the work of Olympians?
-The athlete admires the hard work and dedication that all Olympians put in to reach their moments of glory and finds it fun to celebrate their achievements.
How does the athlete perceive the focus on female athletes during this Olympics?
-The athlete finds it special to see female sports shine brightly and feels honored to be a part of this trend, mentioning that it's great to see strong performances from female athletes.
Who are some of the swimming legends the athlete has heard from?
-The athlete has heard from swimming legends like Debbie Meyer and Chris Von Salto, with whom they are close, and also mentions seeing their good friend Schmidt in Paris.
What inspired the athlete to write their book 'Just Add Water'?
-The athlete was inspired to write the book by keeping journals of their swimming career and other moments, along with having many photos and family memories to share.
How does the athlete manage their POTS diagnosis?
-The athlete manages POTS by staying on top of salt intake and hydration, wearing compression, getting adequate rest, and focusing on small lifestyle adjustments to manage symptoms.
What impact does being an inspiration have on the athlete?
-The athlete tries not to think about being an inspiration and focuses on being the best version of themselves, both in and out of the water, and appreciating the support from those around them.
What advice does the athlete give to youngsters interested in swimming?
-The athlete advises youngsters to keep swimming, have fun with the sport, and fall in love with it, emphasizing the importance of goal setting, determination, and resilience learned from the sport.
How does the athlete feel about being chosen as the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies?
-The athlete feels extremely honored and humbled to represent the team and is looking forward to celebrating with their teammates and experiencing the closing ceremony for the first time.
Outlines
🏅 Reflecting on Olympic Achievements and Enjoying the Journey
The paragraph discusses the athlete's experience with the hardware of their sport, the physical demands it places on them, and their enjoyment of the Olympic atmosphere. The athlete, now the most decorated female Team USA athlete, expresses that the significance of this achievement is slowly sinking in. They discuss the honor of representing their country and their commitment to winning medals for Team USA. The paragraph also touches on the broader context of female athletes excelling in the Olympics and the camaraderie among swimmers, as well as the athlete's own book, 'Just Add Water,' which serves as a tribute to those who have supported their career.
📓 Balancing Training with Writing and Overcoming Personal Challenges
In this paragraph, the athlete talks about finding the time to write their book 'Just Add Water' amidst their rigorous training schedule. They share insights into their journaling process and how it has evolved over the years, reflecting on their emotions and experiences. The athlete also discusses their diagnosis with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and how they manage the symptoms to continue competing at a high level. The paragraph concludes with the athlete's perspective on being an inspiration and their approach to staying motivated and focused on self-improvement.
🌟 Embracing the Role of a Leader and Looking Forward to Future Competitions
The final paragraph focuses on the athlete's role as a leader and their selection as the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies, an honor that moved them to tears. They express their gratitude for the opportunity to represent their team and reflect on the importance of camaraderie among athletes. The athlete also discusses their motivation for future competitions, including the desire to compete in Los Angeles and the joy they find in setting new goals and striving for self-improvement. The paragraph concludes with a look forward to the closing ceremonies and the unique experience of walking in the ceremony for the first time.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Olympics
💡Decorated Female Athlete
💡Camaraderie
💡Just Add Water
💡POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
💡Flag-Bearer
💡Medals
💡Journaling
💡Resilience
💡Goal Setting
💡Camaraderie in Sports
Highlights
The athlete describes the physical sensation of wearing heavy hardware and the impact on their neck.
The athlete is enjoying the post-competition atmosphere of the Olympics, soaking in the city's offerings.
Being named the most decorated female athlete of Team USA is an honor that is slowly sinking in for the athlete.
The athlete's motivation to win a medal for Team USA in every event is driven by a love for the sport and training.
The recent Olympics is celebrated for shining a spotlight on female athletes and their achievements.
The athlete has been inspired by and maintains relationships with swimming legends like Debbie Meyer and Chris Von Salto.
The camaraderie among swimmers is attributed to mutual respect and understanding of the hard work involved in the sport.
The athlete's book 'Just Add Water' is a memoir that shares personal stories and lessons learned throughout her career.
The process of writing the book was therapeutic, involving the review of years of journal entries.
The athlete's POTS diagnosis and how she manages the condition with lifestyle adjustments.
The athlete's role as an inspiration and her personal approach to not focusing on this aspect of her public image.
The significance of being chosen as the flag bearer for the closing ceremonies and what it represents for the athlete.
The athlete's view on not having anything to prove, but rather enjoying the journey and setting new goals.
The importance of fun and goal-setting in swimming, as advised to youngsters by the athlete.
The athlete's reflections on the support from the crowd during the Olympics and its impact on performance.
The anticipation and excitement for the future Olympics in Los Angeles, especially the prospect of a home crowd.
The athlete's commitment to continuous self-improvement and the joy found in the process of getting better.
Transcripts
you've got the hardware on how does it
feel feels pretty good it's heavy that's
I I have to imagine how is your neck
starting to hurt H I'm getting used to
it it's getting my neck's getting
stronger for sure are you enjoying the
moment I am I am this is uh I think the
first Olympics where I've been able to
stay after in the city and kind of soak
it all in soak in the city everything it
has to offer the Olympics so I'm really
enjoying being done with competition and
celebrating with my family and friends
how does it feel feel to be the most
decorated female athlete of Team USA I
don't think that has really sunk in yet
I mean I I keep getting asked it so it's
slowly starting to but um it's always an
honor to represent our country and every
time I dive in the pool I want to win a
medal for Team USA and I'm happy that I
was able to do that in all four of my
events this week and throughout my
career um very happy that I've been able
to have a long consistent career and I'm
not done yet I'm I'm going to keep going
so I'm just trying to enjoy every minute
of it I love the training love the work
um
really I really admire all the work that
all these Olympians put in to get to to
these moments and it's fun to celebrate
all their hard work you know a lot of
people have been talking about it seems
like this Olympics is really all about
the female athletes how great is that
for you to see it's really special um
really special to see some great
performances and I think um female
sports in general across professional
sports college sports and now the
Olympics um has really Shone brightly
over the last year and so just to be
able to be a small part of that here at
the Olympics has been great and um you
know I talk about it in in my book just
said water about how many female
athletes have inspired me over the years
and just to hear from so many of them
means the world to me this past week who
have you heard from I've heard from some
swimming Legends like Debbie Meyer Chris
Von Salto both of whom I'm very close
with um I saw my good friend Schmidt
yesterday uh here in Paris who I I swam
with for many years so um just people
that have become great friends and
people that I've looked up to that so
many people have called me and said I
love that the swimmers all hug each
other and all the women seem like they
really like each other and I said yes
they all do really like each other what
what brings about that camaraderie with
the team I think there's just so much
respect that we have for each other
swimming is a really tough Sport and you
do have to put in a lot of hours so I
think
when you're at this level you understand
the work that the other athletes have
put in and and you respect that you
appreciate that you appreciate um the
great competition uh I I love it when I
I feel like I'm in a big race and I I
know that I'm racing the seven seven
best swimmers in the world and uh it
brings the best out of each other each
day not just in competition but when
we're when we're working as well I when
I ask you about your book Just Add Water
it's a mem more how did you have time to
do this in the middle of all of your
other training well I I worked on it
over the past year and then over the
years I've uh been keeping journals of
my swimming career and other moments
along the way so I looked back a lot at
those when I was working on it and I
have a lot of photos and family memories
and um just tried to piece it all
together to share something special with
everyone and it's been really neat these
past few months to see so many young
girls young boys adults uh swimmers
non-swimmers um enjoy reading it and get
a little something out of it what do you
hope people take away from it I hope
people take away the the joy that I have
in the sport and really the support that
I've had through my career um you know
many of the chapters are dedicated to
the people in my life that have allowed
me to succeed at this level um so my my
parents my brother my grandparents um my
classmates um my coaches I've had uh
four different coaches over the four
Olympics that I've participated in and
each one I have a great relationship
with and and have impacted my career in
very positive ways so uh the book is
kind of a tribute to all of those people
and um I I tell some stories in there I
you know give some takeaways of of some
lessons that I've learned throughout my
career and um yeah it's it's just uh a
lot of special memories that that are in
there you recently uh revealed your pots
diagnosis how are you managing a lot of
those symptoms I I can't imagine
dizziness exhaustion and then having to
jump in the pool yeah well i' I've had
it for I've known I've had it for almost
10 years now and um you know I have to
say I I have been able to manage it
quite well I I understand that there are
some people with pots that have much
more severe symptoms and um have a
harder time managing it and so um you
know for me personally I have to just
stay on top of my salt intake and
hydration and um really just make sure
that I'm I'm doing the small things you
know wearing compression getting
adequate rest all those things so I've
I've been very lucky to be able to
manage it I know some um you know have
harder days than than I do um but you
know hopefully um you know people can
can see that I have it and and those
that that do have pots can um you know
know that with with some work and and um
all that that they can get through those
tough days and know that I'm I'm
supporting them you're an inspiration to
so many for so many various reasons how
does that impact
you I try not to think about it um you
know I I try to just take things one day
at a time one swim race at a time one
swim practice at a time and uh just try
to be the best version of myself in and
out of the water and as I've said and as
I I say in the book B you know I I have
so many great people around me that keep
me motivated uh keep me focused keep me
determined keep me loving the sport and
I I'm very lucky in that I I understand
that some people haven't had that that
kind of Road in in sport um but you know
just being at the Olympics like this it
uh is is always a great moment to thank
those people as well and and have that
gratitude um toward all the all the
people that have gotten you to this this
moment you said you journaled to create
the book was this a therapeutic process
for you in some ways definitely I I
looked back at all the journals over the
years um I started journaling before my
first Olympics back in 2012 and have
really kept journals almost all the way
through so it was neat to look back at
how the journaling has evolved uh how I
kind
of it's the structure of the the each
entry has stayed the same they're kind
of built around my swim practices but
over the years I've kind of written more
and more about how I'm feeling what I'm
thinking you know how I'm feeling during
swim meets all those emotions and and
feelings that I have so I I kept a
journal here in Paris so you know my
story is not done yet um even though the
book the book has been written but um
you know I I try to take good notes and
you know down the road I want to
remember these things and and be able to
share them with you know hopefully I
have kids someday so you know hopefully
hopefully them in the future and um many
others down the line that that swim or
or want a little bit of inspiration what
do you think will be your most memorable
moment that you'll write down from Paris
uh man there were there are so many I
mean I think there's so many moments in
the pool but then for me what I always
love are those moments that you spend
with your teammates um behind the scenes
you know stretching warming up before
the race joking around um we had a
really great team here in in Paris USA
swimming won the gold medal count the
total medal medal count um I was a part
of some I was part of one really special
relay so uh just those little moments
where we're laughing and and joking
around inside jokes um I'm not going to
share but um you know those things I try
to write down and remember for the
future okay I'll have to check out the
next book then find out you guys are
joking around about um I got to watch
you swim in Rio in Tokyo and now here
the crowd here it was incredible yeah
did that help it did it did um there
were so many F there uh the French swim
team was incredible this year so they
had a lot of people come out to support
and they really created a fun
environment um but we also had a lot of
American fans in in attendance I know um
a lot of the photos of us um you know
singing the National Anthem receiving
those medals you see a lot of fans
behind us from the US um singing right
along with us so uh those were very
special moments really nice to have our
family and friends back at the Olympics
after not having them in Tokyo so uh you
know I think a lot of families came out
in full force to support their athletes
and that was really sweet what advice
would you give the young the
youngsters just keep swimming and and
have as much fun as you can with the
sport I started swimming for summer
league swim team Palisades porposes when
I was uh six years old that's one of the
first chapters in in the book it's
called Palisades and I I detail you know
what made me love the sport right from
the start the Sharks and Minnows games
after the the swim Meats the barbecues
the the friends that I have I still have
to this day there were people um at at
the um Paris Olympics here cheering me
on that were my first swim coaches at
palisad so um it's it's really special
and and it's special that you get to be
a part of a team like that the
camaraderie um and just fall in love
with the sport and you know it it might
not be for you for forever you know you
might not become an Olympian I never
dreamt of becoming an Olympian when I
started at Palisades but uh just that
joy that I found the goal setting that I
learned the um determination the
resilience that I learned from an early
age I feel like has served me well
through my Olympic career and I know
will serve me well beyond my swimming
career you never pictured yourself as an
Olympian no not at all there were there
are a lot of Olympians that say that it
was the first thing they dreamed of when
they first started swimming or they
watched the Olympics for the first time
and wanted to go years in the future I
just never thought it was possible I I
saw these athletes as just superheroes
and it was so far-fetched and just
didn't have much interest in learning
about how you qualify for the Olympics
until I got a little closer and started
realizing I could qualify uh yeah my my
parents always joke when they're asked
when did you know Katie was going to be
an Olympian and they said they say when
she touched the wall first at Olympic
trials and qualified that's when they
knew USA swimming we won the gold medal
count count and the overall medal count
in the pool we definitely had some tough
competition from a lot of different
countries Australia France Canada China
um just globally swimming has gotten
faster and faster and that pushes us
that makes us want to work harder and
you know by the time La comes around in
in four years we want to be better we
want to be better than we were here in
Paris and I think that's definitely
doable we're going to have the home
crowd in front of us and we want to put
on a good show for them do you have
something to prove I don't think I have
anything to prove at this point I'm I'm
really just enjoying my career at this
point I'm always striving for more
Always setting new goals for myself I
would love to compete in Los Angeles at
this point I know that can always change
um but I I think it would be incredible
to swim in front of Home crowd and feel
that energy and support that the friend
frch swimmers felt here in Paris um and
probably even to another degree because
swimming is going to be in Sofi stadium
in 2028 so that would be incredible is
that going to be crazy that's going to
be crazy we thought it was loud here yes
probably you know 10 times that in La I
don't think you have anything to prove
either I just didn't know for yourself
if you're if there's like one more thing
or something well I'm I'm always setting
new goals for myself and I'm I'm never
really satisfied and um as crazy as that
sounds it's just what continu to drive
me and continues to get me to the pool
every day I love trying to get better
even if it doesn't necessarily show
every single race on the scoreboard I
love the feeling of self-improvement the
feeling of improving in training even um
so I you know sometimes it's baby steps
along the way to to those bigger goals
and um you know sometimes those those
small wins can feel very very rewarding
how does it feel to be the flag bearer
at the closing ceremonies it's it's such
an h i um only found out this morning um
that I was named that and um I started
crying when um they had Bobby think my
teammate um my USA teammate and also my
Florida teammate distance uh swimmer who
just broke a world record um he
facetimed me to tell me the news and I
started crying and uh it's really just
such an honor to represent this team um
so many great performances this week
from All Sports and just uh have that
moment this is my first time ever
walking in closing ceremony so to be
able to experience that for the first
time is going to be really unique and I
can't wait to celebrate with my
teammates all of their successes and I
know you know some of them may have
families here some of them may have
families at home watching and I hope
that we can uh all carry that flag
together and and represent all of all of
the US that's been cheering us on this
whole way why do you think you were
chosen I don't know I I you know and uh
I've been doing this a long time now i'
I've been to a number of Olympics so I
think um you know I I'm I'm just
incredibly honored and um you know I
hope my teammates can um you know I hope
they see me as a leader and I hope that
I have been able to help some of the
younger athletes uh along their Journey
i' I've certainly enjoyed meeting
athletes from all different sports here
and and cheering them on trying to learn
a little bit more about their stories
their backgrounds and um again I I think
I'm just going to even learn more on on
Sat on Sunday at closing ceremonies um
you know it's just a great opportunity
to interact with more incredible
athletes and they inspire me they they
inspire me by their hard work their
sacrifices again the sacrifices of their
families um and yeah it's going to be a
great night awesome okay can you show me
the medals sure sure
sure look at that smile
love it oh thank you
関連動画をさらに表示
The Olympic Spirit — and How You Can Tap Into It | Allyson Felix | TED
Raw Truth w/ Bakhar Nabieva
I’M NOT NATURAL | COMING CLEAN FINALLY…
Six behaviors to increase your confidence | Emily Jaenson | TEDxReno
Job छोड़कर How She Earns 20 Lakhs/Month Through Her E-Commerce Brand ?
El INFIERNO que vivió Irán Castillo durante el secuestro que sufrió en el 2015
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)