![\"Katie](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-2164725545_975b0a-e1722516206319.jpeg?quality=100&w=384&h=216&crop=1\")
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Katie Ledecky<\/strong><\/a> just added another gold medal to her collection. The 27-year-old Olympian<\/a> swam the 1500-meter freestyle in 15:30:02 on Wednesday, July 31 \u2014 winning by a landslide against all other countries. The victory broke a personal record of hers, as Katie previously swam a 15:35.35 at the Tokyo Olympic Games three years prior. In addition to the eight gold medals she has, Katie also has three silver and one bronze medal.<\/p>\n After realizing she had won the freestyle, Katie was seen celebrating the feat right after touching the wall. She later spoke with reporters about the win.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never easy to win a gold medal,\u201d the athlete said. \u201cSo, I\u2019m just trying to soak in every moment of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Although her \u201cmind wandered a lot\u201d throughout the long-distance race, Katie was able to stay focused.<\/p>\n .@SnoopDogg<\/a> is ALL OF US watching Katie Ledecky win by 10.33 seconds. \ud83d\ude33 #ParisOlympics<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/RdUohmEdRu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cYou know, three years ago in Tokyo, I was repeating my grandmothers\u2019 names in my head a lot,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAnd today, I kind of settled on the boys\u2019 names, the boys at Florida that I train with every day. I was just kind of repeating their names in my head, just thinking of all the practices that we\u2019ve done and all the confidence that I get from training, from being next to them and racing them.\u201d<\/p>\n Other swimmers were surprised to hear that Katie was able to let her mind drift away from the race. Michael Phelps<\/strong><\/a> was even shocked but acknowledged how skilled Katie is to be able to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, one, I\u2019ve never swam a race long enough to where my mind can wander,\u201d Michael, 39, said, per TODAY<\/em><\/a>. \u201cBut to be able to do that, and to still be kind of in the moment, almost celebrating that gold medal with them, it\u2019s so powerful. She\u2019s got a great training group down at the University of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the Paris Olympics commenced, Katie spoke to TODAY<\/em> in June about her journey. The swimmer admitted that she \u201cnever thought that [she] would even make one Olympics when [she] first started swimming, let alone have the opportunity to go into a fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, that part is mind-blowing to me,\u201d Katie added. \u201cBut at the same time, I don\u2019t really focus on the history stuff or medal counts. I\u2019m very focused on each individual swim, and moreso times than places.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n