Katie Ledecky – Olympic Champion Has No Secret to Her Success
Katie Ledecky, from Bethesda, Maryland, is still a teenager, yet she has won 5 Olympic Medals and 9 World Championships in her sport of swimming! How did she do all of this at such a young age? The secret, according to Katie, is that there is no secret!
For one thing, she started young. Katie followed her older brother into the sport of swimming when she was just six years old. Around that same time, she even met Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete in history.
Katie feels her success is simply due to her love of swimming, her love of hard work and her love of practice. Her average day of training looks like this:
- Wake up at 4 a.m
- Swim practice 5-7 a.m.
- Out of pool training 11. to 12:00 (3 days/week)
- Swim practice 3:30-6 p.m.
In 4th grade, she broke her arm, but still kept swimming, even with a cast on her arm!
Out of the pool, Katie supports many charities, including Shepherd’s Table, Bikes for the World and Wounded Warriors. Her strong Catholic faith is at the heart of her life.
Between her athletic feats, her work ethic and desire to give to others, Katie is a great role model for kids around the world. Check out Katie’s amazing story:
Additional Resources:
- Learn more about Katie’s background here on wikipedia
- Watch other great IMK stories about children and adults that exhibit perseverance and passion
- Read IMK’s list great quotes for kids about hard work and doing your best
- Check out other inspiring IMK stories and quotes about sports
Topics for Discussion:
- What is most special about Katie?
- When do you try your hardest at something? What inspires you to do so? What is the result? How does it make you feel?
- Talk about a person you know that always tries their best. Is there anything you can learn from them?
- Can you remember a story that you have read where the characters benefited from their hard work? Or how about a story where a character did not work hard?
Take Action:
- Choose one thing in your life where you are not working as hard as you could be. Start trying harder for 30 days and see what the results are.
- Hold a bike drive for one of Katie’s favorite charities, BikesfortheWorld, at your school or in your community
Teacher Features:
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.
