The 26-year-old American won her second award by virtue of her three individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest last year.
The accolades keep coming for Katie Ledecky as the American won the World Aquatics Swimmer of the Year for 2022. Ledecky was honoured for her achievements Wednesday evening in Fukuoka, Japan, which included four gold medals at last year’s World Championships in Budapest and setting two World Records in the 25m pool during the 2022 Swimming World Cup season.
Ledecky won the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle gold medals in the Hungarian capital as she did the distance sweep for the fourth time at the World Championships, matching her efforts from 2013, 2015, and 2017.
This is Ledecky’s second time winning the female swimmer of the year award, last winning it 10 years ago in 2013 as a 16-year-old. She was also awarded the “best swimming performance” award in 2015 and 2016.
In the 800m freestyle in Budapest, Ledecky became just the third swimmer to win five World titles in the same event, and the first to do it in consecutive championships.
“It’s year after year of hard work,” Ledecky said in Budapest after the 800m freestyle. “I think back to London (2012), I made it a goal to not be a one-hit wonder and here we are 10 years later. I’m really proud of that and still excited for the future as well.”
" I made it a goal to not be a one-hit wonder and here we are 10 years later."
Ledecky swims for coach Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida as she is still swimming at the top of her game in 2023, winning the 1500m freestyle on Tuesday evening here in Japan. Last Sunday, she won silver in the 400m freestyle.
This Saturday, she will be a huge favorite to become the first swimmer to ever win six World titles in the same event when she lines up for the 800m freestyle final, although she may get some pressure from the likes of the world record breaker in the 400m freestyle in Ariarne Titmus of Australia.