Photograph of Olympic swimmers Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps
date: label: date made
content: 2016
name: label: depicted
content: Ledecky, Katie
label: depicted
content: Phelps, Michael
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Color photograph of Olympic swimmers Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps wearing their medals from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Katie Ledecky is the most decorated female Olympic swimmer in history with nine golds, four silvers and one bronze as of the 2024 Paris Games. Ledecky’s strengths are in the long-distance events including the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle while also competing in team relay events. Her Olympic career began at the 2012 London Games, but Ledecky began swimming at age six to keep up with older brother Michael. She competed at her Bethesda, Maryland high school, setting American records twice, and holding the school record for every swimming event except the backstroke. She began Stanford University in 2016 and proceeded to set 12 NCAA records as a freshman. At the 2017 World Championships she took home five golds and one silver, turning pro in 2018 while still in college and collecting more gold and silver medals at the World and Pan Pacific Championships in the ensuing years. She earned four golds and one silver at the 2016 Rio Games and two more golds and two silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games. With her 1500-meter gold in Paris, Ledecky tied for the most gold medals won by an American woman.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: Swimming
label: level of sport
content: Olympics
label: web subject
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2020.0047.10.4
label: accession number
content: 2020.0047
label: catalog number
content: 2020.0047.10.4
objectType: label: Object Name
content: photograph, swimming
label: Object Name
content: photograph
label: Object Name
content: photograph, summer olympics
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 10 in x 8 in; 25.4 cm x 20.32 cm