He continued, “One of the great things about watching the Olympics is that you see a reflection of our country, with people from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all races, all faiths. The Olympics send a message to the world about what makes America special. It speaks to the character of this group, the way you all conduct yourself. And it’s even more moving when you think about the obstacles that many of you had to overcome, not just to succeed at the Olympics, but to get to the Olympics in the first place.”
And then he mentioned me by name, and I’m still over the shock.
“Katie Ledecky may have been swimming in London, but she still had to finish her summer reading assignments in her high school English class.”
Everyone laughed. Then he searched the crowd to find me. “Where’s Katie? Oh, there she is.”
Then-Vice President Joe Biden pointed at me, then came over and joked, “I bet you’ve finished that book.” This was all exciting for me as a teenager about to enter my second year of high school. Thankfully, my classmates and teachers did a great job of making things normal when I returned to school. Of course, I attended assemblies and answered lots of questions about the Olympics. Students and teachers alike could ask anyone anything. But after that, the overwhelming feeling of being part of the world stage faded. At times, I felt a little overwhelmed, but I wasn’t sure why.
I tried to push forward and give my all in school, but at some point during the winter of my sophomore year, I was spurred on by the realization that even though I kept telling people that I felt like my life was the same as before, in reality, that might not be the case.
Like it or not, I was a celebrity. A professional athlete with an international following. Being an Olympian, with that title and profile, was a big change. So was my brother leaving home to go to college. I was suddenly adjusting to being the only child in the house and the fact that my brother Michael, the guy who knew me best and kept me cool, was elsewhere. At school, they didn’t treat me like a different person after the London Games. But in some ways, I felt like a different person.
When I enrolled at Stone Ridge the previous year, I arrived as a freshman, not an Olympian, just one of those students trying to make friends. When I returned from London, my energetic high school swimming coach, Bob Walker, advised me that even though I might have won a gold medal, other qualities had made me who I am today. Bob, my classmates, teachers, and administrators all helped me grow from a regular 15-year-old into an Olympic gold medalist.
It’s easy to get caught up in your own thoughts when it comes to swimming. After all, you spend most of your time with your face in the water staring at a black line at the bottom of the pool. When I returned to Stoneridge, I was lucky enough to reconnect with my high school swim team friends. We were all passionate about swimming, but we maintained a fun and easy-going vibe. After London, I also made sure to balance swimming with volunteer work and school service. Outside of the pool, I tried to stay connected to my community. I filled my time with more activities, kept myself busy, and spent more time literally on the ground. I stayed who I was while accepting who I was becoming. And I reminded myself every day that I was more than a swimmer, as Coach Bob, Yuri, and my parents would often say.
excerpt Just Add Water: My Swimming Life. Copyright © 2024 Katie Ledecky. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.