Katie Ledecky: Breaking Records and Swimming to the Top

Rebel Girls

Kids & Family, Stories For Kids, Education For Kids

4.5 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Katie Ledecky dove headfirst into swimming at just six years old. Today, she is now the most decorated woman swimmer in Olympic history. From winning her first gold in the 800m freestyle at 15 years old to having a current-day total of 14 Olympic medals, Katie continues to prove that she is limitless in the water. This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was narrated by Tara Kirk Sell. It was written and produced by Danielle Roth, and edited and directed by Haley Dapkus. Sound design and mixing by Mumble Media. Fact checking by Sam Gebauer. Our production coordinator was Natalie Hara. Haley Dapkus was our senior producer. Our executive producers were Anjelika Temple and Jes Wolfe. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Until next time, stay rebel!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Katie Ladecki firmly planted her feet.
0:07.0	Swim cap, snug on her head.
0:11.0	Goggles, tight over her eyes.
0:14.0	She bent down into her starting position,
0:17.0	fingers gripping the edge of the platform
0:20.0	as she looked out at the calm water of the
0:22.1	Olympic-sized swimming pool. That surface wouldn't be calm for long. Katie heard the buzz of the
0:29.1	starting horn, as if by instinct she dove, exploding into her swim lane. For a few strong kicks,
0:36.8	longer than you'd think would be possible, she stayed underwater.
0:39.3	Then she bobbed her head up for a breath, just like a dolphin.
0:45.3	This race was her specialty, the 800-meter freestyle.
0:50.3	Katie had once broken the world record in this event,
0:52.3	swimming faster than anyone ever had before.
0:56.0	But that was almost 12 years ago.
0:59.0	Now, at 28, many of her peers had already retired.
1:03.0	Plenty of people thought it was time for her to retire too.
1:06.0	But Katie knew she had something special inside of her.
1:10.0	Sailing through the water, she felt the
1:11.6	electricity in her muscles as her limbs propelled her forward. She was determined to once again
1:16.8	show the world that she was the fastest woman in the water.
1:24.8	I'm Dr. Tara Kirksell, an Olympic swimmer, public health researcher, and mom to a rebel girl.
1:35.5	And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, a fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us.
	...

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