Katie Ledecky may be one of the most decorated female swimmers in Olympic history, but the Team USA star is far from boastful when it comes to displaying her accolades.
At the 2024 Paris Games back in August, Ledecky continued to etch her name in the history books by growing her Olympic medal count to 14 – nine of which are gold. After placing first in the 800-meter freestyle for the fourth-consecutive time, the 27-year-old became the most decorated female Olympian to represent the United States.
She additionally tied Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals won by a woman in the history of the Olympics.
Despite cementing herself as one of the greatest female swimmers of all time, Ledecky revealed she isn’t one to show off her impressive medal collection. While other athletes build trophy cases or vast displays to honor their past accomplishments, the Maryland native opts instead to hide her gold medals inside pairs of socks.
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“I keep them around,” Ledecky said during a Raising Cane’s employee appreciation conference that Mirror U.S. Sports attended.
“For the first few months especially after Paris I keep them in my socks and carry them around in a little bag and try to show them to as many people as I can. It’s fun to see their faces light up and it’s a joy to share those moments with as many people as I can.”
Early on in her career, Ledecky similarly refrained from openly exhibiting her awards. “I used to keep my summer league swimming ribbons in shoe boxes under my bed and I think they’re still there, probably collecting a lot of dust,” she added. “My parents probably aren’t very happy.”
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Katie Ledecky is the most decorated female Olympian to represent the United States (
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Though Ledecky often stashes her medals out of view, she routinely takes them out in public to share with American fans. It’s these heartwarming interactions – which she describes as the “power of the gold medal” – that motivate her to continue competing at the Olympics.
“Really through all these Olympics, I think the biggest thing I’ve learned and have loved, and I get so much joy out of it is what I like to call the ‘power of the gold medal,’” Ledecky said.
“Just the way somebody’s face can light up when they hold the gold medal, see it. The joy that it can bring to people … really it’s all walks of life. It’s these young fans, it’s the TSA agents when I go through security with these, it’s kids at Children’s Hospital, it’s wounded warriors. It’s all these people, these students, these teachers that I get to go back and visit.
“To me, that’s why I do it,” she continued. “It’s the power of the gold medal. It inspires me to continue to set those goals for myself, to be involved in my community.”
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