It may seem like gold is always on an Olympian’s mind, but according to Katie Ledecky, that’s not the case when she’s competing.
Katie swept the 1,500-meter freestyle on Thursday, setting a new Olympic record of 15:30:02.
Despite the incredible feat, the elite swimmer said she was strangely not even thinking about winning another medal or setting the fastest time.
Instead, he admitted he let his mind “wander” during the big race and just wanted to be happy with the results.
“I just wanted to swim a time that I could be really proud of and happy with,” Katie said in a post-race interview.
Katie swept the 1500-meter freestyle on Thursday, setting a new Olympic record of 15:30:02
The athlete said she often thinks about her “Florida team,” with whom she trained at the University of Florida while swimming.
“I let my mind wander during the race, thinking about all the people who had trained with me, just saying their names in my head and thinking about them,” she shared.
Katie also won the event at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and is a five-time world champion, taking titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2023.
But it appears she may be alone in her strategy, as 23-time gold medallist Michael Phelps admitted he was surprised by her comments.
He agreed with sportscaster Mike Tirico that it’s “weird” to imagine letting your mind wander during a race.
However, Phelps, who competed in the 100 and 200 meters, said he has never run the distance Katie does.
“Well, first of all, I’ve never swum a race for so long that my mind could wander,” he noted.
On Tuesday, a Team USA Video The competition went viral on TikTok, with one fan writing: “Do you think they’re thinking about all their failed relationships during this?”
Katie also won the event at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and is a five-time world champion, taking titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2023.
And all-around gold medalist Sunisa Lee then gleefully commented “real” in apparent confirmation.
In 2023, 12-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin shared that while swimming, it’s just “you, your thoughts, and the sound of rushing water.”
“There’s no music, there’s no one talking to you,” she told Self magazine in a TikTok video at the time.
She added that her mind was not as blank as Katie’s and that she was quite focused on her movements.
“Every little detail makes a big difference,” he explained.
‘Move your pinky here, your toes here, get tone in this part of your body, relax this part of your body while you’re under so much competitive pressure.’