Few athletes accomplished more at the Paris Games than swimmer Katie Ledecky, who won four medals, including gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle in a new Olympic record time of 15:30.02. In the process, she won a total of 14 medals, making her the most decorated female Olympian in Team USA history.
But her most significant achievement was her final one – winning her fourth gold medal in the 800 meters, making her the only woman to win four consecutive gold medals.
“It’s not going to be easy every time,” Ledecky told SELF after returning from Paris. “When that match was over, I felt relief, I felt excitement, I felt every emotion. You always want to end it on a good note.”
So how do athletes recover from such an incredible high? Learn how Ledecky takes care of herself post-competition so she can return to training refreshed, both mentally and physically.
1. The “before” is just as important as the after.
Prevention measures are especially important for Ledecky, who was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in 2015. The condition causes blood to pool in the legs when standing up, which can cause symptoms like dizziness, fainting, and fatigue.
Ledecky keeps her symptoms under control by staying hydrated and consuming extra sodium, as well as wearing compression clothing to keep the blood flowing. She wears shirts and leggings, but compression socks are the most important part of keeping the blood flowing in her legs, which she wears whenever she travels long distances (such as flying from the US to Paris).
“A lot of people use compression socks when they fly,” she says. “For athletes in particular, compression socks can help improve the condition of your feet and begin to recover on the plane before you land.”
2. When you have a packed race schedule, fuelling between races becomes even more important.
Ledecky’s Olympic schedule was grueling: Between prelims and finals, she swam eight different races over six days, totaling nearly 6,000 meters. After each race, she swam slow laps to “warm down,” in swimmers’ parlance. cool down.
Additionally, she focused on replenishing protein, carbohydrates, and electrolytes for her upcoming races. And the best way to do this is with something convenient. With a looming race schedule, who has time to sit down and eat a meal? Ledecky chooses protein shakes, a longtime partner of Core Power, for training and competition.
“It was easy to grab it as soon as the race was over,” she says, “and sip it while warming myself up.” The chocolate flavor is her favorite, but she sometimes mixes it with vanilla. (Luckily, Team USA shipped 11,000 Core Power bottles to Paris in advance and delivered a giant cooler directly to the pool, so they were always within reach.)
3. Make time for fun and celebrate all that is good.
Although this was her fourth Olympics, Ledecky didn’t stay at the Olympics for two weeks after the swim finished, where she watched other sports for the first time and appeared at the men’s and women’s basketball games and a golf match before raising the flag at the closing ceremony.
