Via Swimming World on Facebook
At the age of 14, swimmer Katie Ledecky sat down with her coach and set a goal: to get to the 2012 London Olympics. After months of training, waking up at 3:45 a.m. for practice and balancing a full course load at a brand new school, Katie blazed through the Olympic Trials and earned a spot on the USA Women’s Swim Team. On August 3rd, Katie continued to exceed expectations and shock fans everywhere when she took home gold in the 800-meter freestyle. She set an American women’s record for the event and is the second-youngest American woman to win an individual gold medal.