Katie Ledecky Wins Female Athlete Of The Year For 2nd Time

BETHESDA, MD — Superstar swimmer Katie Ledecky, who grew up in Bethesda, won The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for 2022, edging out U.S. track start Sydney McLaughlin in balloting announced Wednesday.

Ledecky, who previously won the award in 2017, set a pair of world records in 2022. She was selected by a panel of 40 sports writers and editors from news outlets across the country.

“I know so many great athletes have won this honor,” Ledecky told the AP. “I’m really happy — happy with how my year went, and also excited about the future.”

Growing up in Montgomery County, Ledecky attended Metropolitan Nursery School in D.C., Little Flower School in Bethesda, and Stone Ridge in Bethesda. She swam for the Palisades Porpoises in the Montgomery County Swim League.

Ledecky received an athletic scholarship to Stanford University, where she swam for the Stanford Cardinal women's swimming team. In December 2020, she completed the required courses for a bachelor of arts in psychology and minor in political science from Stanford and graduated in June 2021.

Ledecky, 25, won her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15. In her swimming career, she has won seven Olympic gold medals and 19 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer.

She is the world record holder in the women's 800- and 1500-meter freestyle, both long course and short course. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events.

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