Olympian With North Dakota Ties Is Crushing It At Paris Olympics

If you're not paying attention to the Olympics, you should be. At least one Olympian competing this year (2024) has North Dakota ties.

USA Today is calling her "the greatest female swimmer in history," and for good reason.

Katie Ledecky is a name you've probably heard before; she just tied the record for the most Olympic medals won by a U.S. female athlete. She tied the record today (Wednesday, July 31st) after winning a gold medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle final in Paris.

To date, Katie Ledecky has won 12 Olympic medals, and has competed in four Olympic games.

Ledecky has recorded the 20 fastest times in the 1,500-meter freestyle, and holds the world record for this race. She hasn't lost the 1,500m in 14 years, according to NBC New York. 

Ledecky is also the captain of the 2024 Olympic swimming team.

Take a look at some of her accomplishments:

2012 - 800m freestyle gold

2016 - 200m free gold

2016 - 400m free gold

2016 - 800m free gold

2016 - 4x200m free relay gold

2016 - 4x100m free relay silver

2020 - 800m free gold

2020 - 1500m free gold

2020 - 4x200m free relay silver

2020 - 400m free silver

2024 - 400m free bronze

2024 - 1500m free gold

Ledecky is not done in Paris, yet, she still has two more races to go: 800m free, & 4x200m relay.

I'm sure we will be adding more medals to this list before the end of the games.

Connections to North Dakota

So, how is Ledecky tied to North Dakota? - You might be surprised to learn, that even though her family now lives in Washington D.C., they used to live in Williston, North Dakota.

According to The Bismarck Tribune, Ledecky's grandfather (Dr. Edward J Hagan raised the their family in Williston. Hagan even opened the first indoor swimming pool in the city. According to KFYR, Ledecky was the first person to do a lap in the pool.

Ledecky currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland, but let's hope she comes back to North Dakota soon!