Powered by faith, family and teamwork

May 17, 2024

By Maureen Boyle
Katie Ledecky, the most decorated woman in swimming history, added another distinguished medal to her collection on May 3. She was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony, recognising her exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, and security of the United States, along with 18 other Americans.

A native of the Washington area and a parishioner at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland, Ledecky, 27, is a three-time US Olympic swimmer, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, a 21-time world champion, and a 16-time world-record breaker in her sport.

Ledecky was among 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year, which included Jesuit Fr Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, an intervention and rehabilitation programme for gang members in Los Angeles.

“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 honour to the swimmer.

A graduate of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington, Ledecky plans to compete in her fourth summer Olympic Games 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 US Olympic swim team and won her first gold medal in the women’s 800-metre freestyle race during the London Olympics.

Before she headed off to her inaugural Summer Games, Ledecky told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, that to calm her nerves 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.”

Although the medals, records, accolades, and commercial endorsements have mounted up in the ensuing years, Ledecky is very much the same humble, hometown athletic phenomenon she was 12 years ago.

She is grateful for her lifelong Catholic faith — something she especially relied on during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it remained very important in her life, especially during the difficult challenges of the global shutdown — which led to a year’s postponement of the 2020 Summer Games. She recalled attending Mass virtually every week with her family whom she hadn’t seen in person since December 2019.

“My faith is strong, and I realised more how important that is,” she said. — OSV