When Katie Ledecky — four-time Olympian, 14-time medalist — found out she would carry the American flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremonies, she was moved to tears.
“It’s such an honor,” said Ledecky. Teammate Bobby Finke gave her the good news Thursday. “He FaceTimed me to tell me the news, and I started crying. And it’s really just such an honor to represent this team with so many great performances this week from all sports.”
It’s an honor that Team USA‘s most decorated female Olympian will share with men’s four rower Nick Mead, who was part of the team that ended a 64-year medal drought for the U.S.
The closing ceremony at the Stade de France will be the first one Ledecky will attend.
The Bethesda, Maryland, native had an impressive performance at the Games coming home with four medals, winning gold in the 800m and 1500m freestyles, silver in the 4x200m relay and bronze in the 400m freestyle. And, she said, she is “not done yet.” She plans to keep training — and keep pushing her teammates as well — ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
“By the time LA comes around in four years, we want to be better,” said Ledecky. “We want to be better than we were here in Paris. And I think that’s definitely doable. We’re gonna have the home crowd in front of us, and we want to put on a good show for them.”
While Ledecky admits she never saw herself as an Olympian as a kid, she did know right away how much she loved being in the pool.
“I started swimming for summer league swim team Palisades Porpoises when I was 6 years old,” Ledecky said. “What made me love the sport right from the start, the Sharks and Minnows games after the swim meets, the barbecues, the friends that I have, I still have, to this day.”
And to young swimmers starting their journey, she said: “Just keep swimming and have as much fun as you can with the sport.”