Katie Ledecky Just Achieved A Swimming Feat Only Michael Phelps Has Done Before

Katie Ledecky has won gold in the 800-meter final, notching another record in history as she becomes the first woman ever to four-peat in a swimming event at the Olympics.

Australia’s Ariarne Titmus was hot on her heels, taking silver. Paige Madden of the U.S. won bronze.

The only other swimmer who has managed to win an event at four consecutive Games is Michael Phelps, who topped the men’s 200-meter individual medley from 2004 to 2016.

On Thursday, Ledecky surpassed the record for most Olympic medals won by a U.S. woman when she scored her 13th, a silver, in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

She’s been winning the 800-meter free since she was 15, when she swam in just that event at the 2012 London Olympics.

So far in Paris, she’s also taken bronze in the 400-meter and gold in the 1500-meter.

But Ledecky doesn’t pay much attention to these milestones. She’s said she stays focused on her own goals, which are time- and technique-oriented.

Even after four Games, her love of the sport hasn’t diminished a bit — and she still hopes to go again in 2028.

“I’ve been consistent over these last few months and last few years in saying that I would love to compete in L.A., and that hasn’t changed,” Ledecky said earlier this week. “That could change. I mean, you never know. So, I really just take it year by year at this point and I really haven’t thought much beyond this week in terms of what my fall is going to look like, what my next year is going to look like.”

“But yeah, I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in the sport yet,” she added.