Her gold one night earlier in the women’s 1,500-meter race put Ledecky in a four-way tie with fellow American greats Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin, along with Australian Emma McKeon.
She swam the third leg of Thursday’s relay, diving into the pool with the Americans in third place. She moved past China after 150 meters and drew the U.S. team to within 0.33 seconds of the speedy Australian team. Ledecky posted a 200 time of 1:54.93.
“I guess it really hasn’t sunk in,” Ledecky said after the race. “Just because I have one more race — or two more swims left. But I guess to accomplish that with a relay feels fitting to me. I’ve been on that relay so many times over the years with so many great people. So it’s really special to do it as part of a relay.”
Olympic rookie Erin Gemmel, 19, surprisingly got the anchor spot for the Americans. She was able to hold off China, but had no chance of catching Australia, anchored by Ariarne Titmus, the world record-holder in the 200. The Aussies took gold and broke the Olympic record with a time of 7:38.08. The U.S. won silver with a time of 7:40.86.
“I think we all walked in there very determined,” Ledecky said. “For Claire [Weinstein] and Erin, it was their last swim of the meet, so kind of knew they were gonna throw down something special.”
Ledecky’s medal collection spans four Olympics: one from 2012, five from 2016, four from 2021 and three here in Paris. That includes eight golds, four silvers and one bronze.
“It’s still so much fun to me,” Ledecky said of her longevity. “So fresh each year. … New faces, new people to race against, be on teams with.”
The 27-year old native of Bethesda, Md., still has one more event remaining, the women’s 800-meter freestyle on Saturday. Her number could grow even more, as Ledecky plans to continue swimming and hopes to compete at the Los Angeles Games in four years.
Among all athletes, the most decorated female Olympian is the gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals, including nine golds, competing for the Soviet Union from 1956-64.
No other female Summer Olympic athlete has more medals than Ledecky. Marit Bjorgen, the cross-country skier from Norway, won 15, and the Dutch speedskater Ireen Wust also has 13.
Swimmer Michael Phelps, of course, has more hardware than anyone. He won 28 career medals — including 23 that are gold — swimming in five Olympics.
“It’s just an honor to be on the same team as Katie,” said Weinstein, who swam the leadoff leg. “She’s the most humble person I know. And she’s been such an inspiration, even before I was ever on a high level team with her. I’ve always looked up to her since I was a little kid. So it’s really crazy being on the same relay as her and being on the same team as her and having her as a mentor.”
