Katie Ledecky will be the youngest member of this year's Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame class.
A year ago, Olympic Swimmer Katie Ledecky threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Washington Nationals game. This year, she returns to Nationals Park to be inducted into the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame. The 20-year-old Ledecky, a Bethesda native, is currently a Freshman at Stanford University. This year, she helped the school’s swimming and diving team win its first NCAA championship in almost two decades. But everyone knows Katie Ledecky for her complete dominance in the pool at last year’s Olympic Games. During the Women’s 800 Meter Final, she nearly lapped her competition to win Gold, shattering her own world record in the process. After touching the wall, Ledecky was so far ahead that none of her competitors were even in the camera’s frame.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for July 9. Ledecky will be one of nine in this year’s Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame class, joining Maryland men’s basketball legends Juan Dixon and Tom McMillen, former Maryland women’s basketball Coach Brenda Frese, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, retired broadcaster Glenn Harris, former Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser, former Redskins defensive back Mike Nelms, and former Capitals announcer Ron Weber.
As of now, Katie Ledecky hasn’t confirmed whether or not she will compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. However, she isn't hiding that she wants to compete in Tokyo.
"Sitting in this position now, I still do want more. I still do want to continue to succeed in this sport," she said immediately after the 2016 Olympics."I still want to have the opportunities to compete on this level. It's that same feeling: I just love this atmosphere. I love the Olympics. I love being here."
Ledecky is diving headfirst into her collegiate career and is excited to see how her new team will help prepare her for the next Olympics. Considering that she lapped all but one competitor in this year’s 1650-yard NCAA Championships race, it is hard to imagine the Olympics without her.
