Olympics fans blown away as Katie Ledecky’s swimming stunt resurfaces as USA star wins NINTH gold medal
Olympics fans were surprised when a clip of Katie Ledecky from 2020 surfaced.
At the height of the ‘got milk challenge’ on TikTok, the Olympic legend jumped on the trend and wowed the masses.
Ledecky placed a glass of chocolate milk on her head and swam the entire length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool without spilling a drop.
The clip was reposted by NBC Sports Chicago a few weeks before Ledecky left for Paris for the 2024 Games, prompting backlash from fans.
“That’s crazy but in a good way!! Bravo!!,” wrote one user. “I thought she was going to drink the milk through her snorkel,” joked another.
Olympics fans were left stunned by a resurfaced video of Katie Ledecky from 2020
“Absolutely amazing… but hey, so is she!” a third commented.
In her book, Just Add Water: My Swimming Life, Ledecky explains the thought process behind the viral clip and shares the technique for getting it right the first time.
“I climbed into the water and was playing with balancing the drink when it hit me. I would have to swim the entire length of the pool with a glass of chocolate milk on my head,” she wrote.
“I explained to the production team that balancing objects on your head is a common exercise for backstrokers. It trains them to maintain their head position. But I had never seen anyone do that exercise in freestyle.”
Ledecky practiced a few laps with water before trying chocolate milk.
Ledecky swam with a glass of chocolate milk on her head in a viral clip that was reposted
Fans took to the comments section to react to Ledecky’s incredible display of skills
“I made it in one go! Normally it takes me thirty-eight or nine strokes to cross the pool; this time I counted six,” she shared.
“I had to lock my abs to keep my core tight, to keep my head flat and still. I let my kick do most of the propulsion. I tried to keep my arms as smooth as butter.
‘I don’t know if the chocolate milk people realized how crazy the feat was, since they weren’t swimming experts. They enjoyed it. But they had no idea of the difficulty.
“They wanted to shorten the clip. I opposed them. I stressed that we had to post the whole round. They gave in. And guess what? The clip went viral.”
Ledecky has won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the Paris Olympics so far
The Stanford product will compete for another gold medal in the women’s 800-meter freestyle final
Ledecky’s campaign in the French capital has brought her further success. On Saturday night, she won the 800m freestyle, taking her total to 14 Olympic medals.
The Stanford player had already won bronze in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, followed by a convincing gold in the women’s 1500-meter freestyle and silver in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
Other swimmers followed Ledecky’s lead after her clip went viral. Australian Susie O’Neill did it with beer, while American Mark Grevers used non-alcoholic beer.