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Saturday 22 July 2017
Ledecky prepares for another big week at world championships

a total of 6,300 meters if all in Budapest.
goes according to plan. Meehan knew he was in-
That’s nearly 4 miles in to- heriting a special talent.
tal, encompassing freestyle He tweaked a few things in
races that range from 200 her training regimen, and
meters (essentially, a sprint) worked to make her stroke
to 1,500 (the grueling met- a bit longer and more ef-
ric mile). ficient, but Ledecky cer-
To add a little perspec- tainly didn’t need a major
tive, Michael Phelps put in overhaul.
3,300 meters — roughly half “She knows how to handle
the distance of Ledecky’s that racing load,” Meehan
program — on his way to said. ‘“Nothing prepares
a record eight gold med- you for that other than ex-
als at the Beijing Olympics. perience and hard work.
No one is aware of a pool She did a great job with
swimmer ever covering so Bruce Gemmell.
much distance within the Bruce prepared her in that
confines of a single major regard. We’ve just taken
meet. the ball and continued to
For anyone else, it would run with it. She’s in a great
seem ludicrous to even spot.”
consider such a daunting Ledecky will have the spot-
plan. light largely to herself in
In this Aug., 24, 2016, file photo, Olympic gold-medal swimmer Katie Ledecky talks to the media But Ledecky did 6,200 me- Hungary.
before a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals, in Wash- ters at the last world cham- Michael Phelps retired
ington.
Associated Press pionships, two years ago again (except for racing
in Kazan, Russia, where sharks), Ryan Lochte was
she won five gold medals. suspended for his antics
By PAUL NEWBERRY has become the expected. the Danube. She’s added the 4x100 free in Rio and Missy Franklin is
AP National Writer “It’s really just putting in the Of course, there’s nothing relay to her repertoire since taking the year off after a
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) work, putting in the train- restful about her plans for then. disappointing Olympic per-
— Katie Ledecky shrugs off ing,” Ledecky said Friday, the world championships in At the Rio Olympics last formance.
the notion that she’s doing sounding so nonchalant Budapest, where the swim- summer, Ledecky cap- While still a bit too young to
anything special over the that she might as well have ming competition begins tured four gold medals and be voted a team captain
next week. been describing a leisurely on Sunday. a silver. That must have — that honor went to Na-
For the 20-year-old Ameri- afternoon swim in one of Ledecky will race every seemed like a breeze, than Adrian, Matt Grevers,
can star, the improbable those thermal baths along day for seven straight days, a mere 3,300 meters for Elizabeth Beisel and Katie
the week since the 1,500 Meili — Ledecky has defi-
wasn’t part of the women’s nitely taken on more of a
program. leadership role, especially
That will change at the 2020 with teenage swimmers
Games in Toyko, so this will such as 15-year-old Regan
be the first test of what her Smith and 17-year-old Da-
program will probably look kota Luther.
like at the next Olympics. “I still feel pretty young on
“I feel like I’m really pre- this team,” Ledecky said
pared,” Ledecky said. “I with a smile. “But I do feel
was confident two years like I can have a little bit
with what that schedule more of a leadership role
would be like and how I this year.”
could handle it and man- When she hangs out with
age it so I would have Smith and Luther, both
good energy throughout competing in their first in-
the week.” ternational meets, she’s re-
Life has changed quite a minded of her first big com-
bit since her triumphant petition — the 2012 London
performance in Brazil. Olympics, where Ledecky,
A native of the Washington, then only 15, stunned ev-
D.C., suburbs, she moved eryone by winning gold in
away from home for the the 800 free.
first time to attend Stan- “I was wide-eyed for that
ford, an experience that whole experience,” she re-
has given her a whole new called. “There were people
balance and perspective. on that team I had looked
The change of scenery up to for so long.
forced her to change Now, it’s so cool to see (a
coaches, as well. new wave of swimmers)
She left Bruce Gemmell have that experience.
and is now working with her They always know they
college coach, Greg Mee- can come to me or any
han, who is serving as the of the older swimmers for
head U.S. women’s coach advice.”q