Kathleen Genevieve "Katie" Ledecky (/ləˈdɛki/ born March 17, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time world champion. She is the current world-record holder in the women's 400-, 800-, and 1,500-meter freestyle (long course). She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1,650-yard freestyle events.

In her international debut at the 2012 London Olympic Games as a 15-year-old upstart, Ledecky unexpectedly won the gold medal in the women's 800-meter freestyle. Four years later, she left Rio de Janeiro as the most decorated female athlete of the 2016 Olympic Games with four gold medals, one silver medal, and two world records. In total, she has won 20 medals (19 golds and one silver) in major international competitions, spanning the Summer Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships. During her career, she has broken thirteen world records.

Ledecky's success has earned her Swimming World's World Swimmer of the Year and the American Swimmer of the Year awards in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Ledecky was also named the international female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe in 2014 and the Female Athlete of the Olympic Games by the United States Olympic Committee in 2016. Ledecky's seven individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships and 11 combined individual titles at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships are records in women's swimming. In 2016, Ledecky was the youngest person on Time magazine's Time 100 list.

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