Sportz Point Awards 2022: Athlete of the Year (Female) | Katie Ledecky

Sportz Point has honored American competitive swimmer Katie Ledecky as the Athlete of the Year (Female).

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Ledecky, who won her first gold medal in 2012 at the age of 15, has remained at the pinnacle of freestyle swimming for the better part of a decade. Moreover, she has held the record in the long course since 2013, both in the 800 meters and in the 1,500, freestyle. She has rarely faced a serious challenge in any of those tests. At this year's Swimming World Championships in Budapest, Ledecky came first in the 800, with an advantage of more than 10 seconds. She conquered the 1,500 by almost 15 seconds. She also won gold in the 400-meter freestyle and was part of the American team that won the 4x200 freestyle relay.

Before 2022 was out, Ledecky added two world records to her resume. She set the records in the short course in both the 800 and 1,500 meters, one week apart. Ledecky did it despite the fact that she hardly competes in 25-meter pools. She earned two gold and two silver medals in Tokyo to become the most decorated female individual gold medalist in Olympic history.

However, Ledecky tackled a brutal program at the Tokyo Games, where women competed in the 1,500 free for the first time. As expected, she swept the 800-1,500 double. But she came up short to Australian rival Ariarne Titmus in two shorter freestyle events. Ledecky settled for silver behind Titmus in the 400. She didn't even win a medal in the 200, finishing 1½ seconds behind the Aussie in fifth place. It was the first time Ledecky failed to win a medal in an Olympic race.

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Apart from this, in three Olympic appearances, Ledecky has won seven gold and three silver medals. In the World Cup, her impressive harvest is 19 golds and three silvers. Ledecky is now concentrating on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where she could compete in at least four events. She even dreams of reaching the Olympic event in her country, in Los Angeles 2028. That is why Sportz Point has chosen Katie Ledecky as the Athlete of the Year (Female).