Ledecky Slam Makes History at World Championships

Bethesda swimmer, and Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky, 18, crushed records last week at the world championships in Russia, completing what pundits dubbed a “Ledecky Slam.”

The recent Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart graduate snagged more gold medals than swimming mega-star Michael Phelps at the FINA Swimming World Championships. Her medal haul included five golds and three world records.

In the past 24 months, Ledecky has broken 10 world records. Last week she became the first swimmer to sweep the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyles in a major competition, reports The New York Times.

At the age of 15, Ledecky won the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle event at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

In May, Ledecky said she will delay her enrollment at Stanford University for one year, until the fall of 2016, reports Montgomery Community Media. That decision lets her train for the 2016 Rio Olympics at home in Maryland.

“Yes, that was about as good a week as I could’ve had, for this given week,” Ledecky told The Washington Post after her medal sweep in Russia. “But hopefully there’s another given week in the future that’s better than this.”

»Photo of swimmer Katie Ledecky, courtesy of Montgomery Community Media