Katie Ledecky will swim in the 200-meter and 1,500-meter finals, two opposite races, an hour apart.Michael Phelps has said Ledecky's ability to set goals for herself and achieve them is impressive.- Ledecky will have swim 6,000 meters in Tokyo, almost double what Phelps swam in 2008.
Katie Ledecky is in the midst of a hectic, ambitious schedule at the Tokyo Olympics that few other swimmers could handle.
Between Monday night and Wednesday morning in Tokyo, Ledecky will swim three 200-meter races and two 1,500-meter races between qualifying heats, semis, and finals.
Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning in Tokyo) figures to be extra challenging, as Ledecky will swim finals in both events.
It's not just that these are physically demanding events - they are almost polar opposites, one a sprint, the other more of a
Few swimmers could handle such a rigorous schedule, but as Michael Phelps told Business Insider in 2017, Ledecky has a unique ability to set goals for herself and reach them.
"She's someone that's very goal-oriented," Phelps said at the time. "When she writes a time down, or she writes a major milestone down, she's gonna do whatever she can to make sure that happens.
"I've only seen that really a couple times in the sport. So it's a true treat for me to be able to see her kind of truly coming up in the sport like she is."Phelps said having such a full slate is taxing.
"When you start building a program like that, when you're swimming seven or eight races, it's just a combination of everything - mental, physical, emotions - that really have to be pretty much perfect throughout that whole eight-day program."
Phelps noted in 2017 that more swimmers are specializing in specific events, meaning it's becoming rarer to see swimmers like Ledecky with such a full plate.
And though Phelps competed in more events than Ledecky will in these Olympics, he never swam so far. According to ESPN's Aishwarya Kumar, by the time Ledecky finishes the Tokyo Olympics, she'll swim 6,000 meters or about 3.7 miles - almost double what Phelps swam in the 2008 Olympics when he totaled 3,300 meters.
Ledecky will undoubtedly seek redemption after losing to Australian up-and-comer Ariarne Titmus in the 400-meter freestyle on Sunday. Titmus owns the fastest 200-meter time this year, and if Ledecky is as goal-driven as Phelps says, getting revenge will almost certainly be on Ledecky's mind.
Meanwhile, she's the heavy favorite in the 1,500-meter freestyle, a new race to the Olympics on the women's side. Ledecky owns the world record in the event, plus eight of the 11 fastest times. During qualifiers, she swam six seconds faster than the next-closest swimmer.
Ledecky still has the 4x200m relays and 800m freestyle to swim at these Olympics, but medaling in two polar opposite races within an hour may be one of the most impressive accomplishments in Tokyo.