Over the weekend, Katie Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympics qualifying meet — a victory that guarantees that she will participate in her FOURTH straight Summer Olympics in Paris.
I watched that race. And it led me down a fun rabbit hole: Is Ledecky the best female athlete ever?
Her resume is remarkable: Seven Olympic gold medals (10 total medals), 22 world championships, two current world records (she has broken her OWN records 14 times) and an undefeated record in major competitions in the 800-meter freestyle and the 1500-meter freestyle. (Yes, you read that right: Ledecky has NEVER lost those races in a major competition.)
Amazingly, at least to me, Ledecky is VERY rarely mentioned as one of the greatest female athletes ever. Those lists almost always include Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Mia Hamm.
All of whom are great athletes! But are they more dominant in their sports than Ledecky has been in hers?
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