Wow Catholic Athlete Katie Ledecky who is the World's Most Decorated Female Swimmer, is Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom!
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Ledecky, a native of the Washington area, received the nation’s highest civilian honor, along with 18 other Americans who have “made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to a White House statement.
(the video below is from 2 years ago but shows her faith)
Ledecky, age 27, is a three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, a 21-time world champion and a 16-time world-record breaker in swimming.
“Thank you, Mr. President and everyone at the White House today for this honor and an incredibly special day!” announced Ledecky, before hundreds of guests.
Ledecky was among 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year. The group included Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, an intervention and rehabilitation program for gang members in Los Angeles. SEE More about Fr. Boyle: https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2024/05/priest-who-founded-homeboy-ind-which.html
“Powered by faith, family, and teamwork, Katie Ledecky is a symbol of perseverance and strength with a heart of gold that shines for the nation and for the world,” President Joe Biden said before presenting the honor to the swimmer.
A graduate of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington, Ledecky plans to compete in her fourth summer Olympic Games July 26-Aug. 11 in Paris.
During the summer of 2012, Ledecky was a rising 15-year-old sophomore at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda when she was the youngest athlete on the U.S. Olympic swim team and won her first gold medal in the women’s 800-meter women’s freestyle race during the London Olympics.
Ledecky told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, that to stay calm she always prays right before a race.
“The prayer I say is the ‘Hail Mary,'” said Ledecky, adding that her faith and the sacraments give her a welcome opportunity to pause in her busy routine. “I also love going to Mass every week. It’s a great chance to reflect and connect with God. (My faith) has been a big part of my life since I was born.”
“My faith is strong, and I realized more how important that is,” she said.
About Katie
Katie Ledecky is a 10-time Olympic Medalist and 21-time World Championship Gold Medalist, the most decorated woman in World Championships history. She is also the first swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event (800m free). Katie has broken 16 World Records and 37 American Records in her career. Katie went home with two Gold Medals and two Silver Medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, making her the most decorated female swimmer in individual events of all-time. Katie was the most decorated female athlete for the second Olympics in a row (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020). She also made history by winning Gold at the first-ever women’s 1500m event in Tokyo. Katie’s success has earned her USA Swimming’s Golden Goggles Award as Female Swimmer of the Year an unprecedented seven times. In her two seasons with the Stanford Cardinals swim team, Katie won eight NCAA titles and broke 15 NCAA records, helping to lead the team to back-to-back NCAA Team Championships and two Pac-12 Conference Team Championships. Katie won multiple accolades during her time at Stanford, including nine-time All-American, CWSA Honda Cup Winner, AP Female Athlete of the Year, CSCAA Scholar All-American and the CoSIDA Division I Academic All-American Team Member of the Year. A recent graduate of Stanford University, Katie is passionate about the importance of education, especially STEM and leadership programs for girls.
Ledecky, age 27, is a three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, a 21-time world champion and a 16-time world-record breaker in swimming.
“Thank you, Mr. President and everyone at the White House today for this honor and an incredibly special day!” announced Ledecky, before hundreds of guests.
Ledecky was among 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year. The group included Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, an intervention and rehabilitation program for gang members in Los Angeles. SEE More about Fr. Boyle: https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2024/05/priest-who-founded-homeboy-ind-which.html
“Powered by faith, family, and teamwork, Katie Ledecky is a symbol of perseverance and strength with a heart of gold that shines for the nation and for the world,” President Joe Biden said before presenting the honor to the swimmer.
A graduate of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington, Ledecky plans to compete in her fourth summer Olympic Games July 26-Aug. 11 in Paris.
During the summer of 2012, Ledecky was a rising 15-year-old sophomore at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda when she was the youngest athlete on the U.S. Olympic swim team and won her first gold medal in the women’s 800-meter women’s freestyle race during the London Olympics.
Ledecky told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, that to stay calm she always prays right before a race.
“The prayer I say is the ‘Hail Mary,'” said Ledecky, adding that her faith and the sacraments give her a welcome opportunity to pause in her busy routine. “I also love going to Mass every week. It’s a great chance to reflect and connect with God. (My faith) has been a big part of my life since I was born.”
“My faith is strong, and I realized more how important that is,” she said.
About Katie
Katie Ledecky is a 10-time Olympic Medalist and 21-time World Championship Gold Medalist, the most decorated woman in World Championships history. She is also the first swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event (800m free). Katie has broken 16 World Records and 37 American Records in her career. Katie went home with two Gold Medals and two Silver Medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, making her the most decorated female swimmer in individual events of all-time. Katie was the most decorated female athlete for the second Olympics in a row (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020). She also made history by winning Gold at the first-ever women’s 1500m event in Tokyo. Katie’s success has earned her USA Swimming’s Golden Goggles Award as Female Swimmer of the Year an unprecedented seven times. In her two seasons with the Stanford Cardinals swim team, Katie won eight NCAA titles and broke 15 NCAA records, helping to lead the team to back-to-back NCAA Team Championships and two Pac-12 Conference Team Championships. Katie won multiple accolades during her time at Stanford, including nine-time All-American, CWSA Honda Cup Winner, AP Female Athlete of the Year, CSCAA Scholar All-American and the CoSIDA Division I Academic All-American Team Member of the Year. A recent graduate of Stanford University, Katie is passionate about the importance of education, especially STEM and leadership programs for girls.
Sources: The official Website of Katie Ledecky, Catholic Standard and OSV News
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