She’s the greatest swimmer of all time, but what does Katie Ledecky eat to make sure her body is in tip-top shape for the Olympics?
At just 27 years old, Ledecky will compete in the grueling women’s 1,500-meter freestyle event tonight (July 31) for Team USA as the 2024 Paris Olympics get underway.
Taking place at the Paris La Défense Arena, the American legend will face the likes of Simona Quadarella and Anastasiya Kirpichnikova in hopes of winning her eighth Olympic gold medal and 12th medal overall at the Summer Games.
In the heats for a spot in the final, Ledecky demonstrated her immense talent by finishing 17 seconds ahead of her nearest rival. Surrounded by an empty pool, the world record holder simply waited at the end of the pool while the seven other swimmers in her heat tried to catch up.
But what does it take for Ledecky to become as gifted as she is? Well, like Michael Phelps, she has a pretty intense relationship with all things food.
Ledecky loves Olympic medals (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, her parents revealed to ESPN exactly what she would eat to put her in pole position for a gold medal.
Rising at 4:15 a.m., she starts the day with two pieces of peanut butter toast, then a banana or apple to go with it all before heading to practice.
At 7 a.m., when practice was over, Ledecky would eat something like an omelet with bacon, eggs, cheese and tomatoes and potatoes on the side.
Then there was a bagel with cream cheese and eggs, which was sometimes accompanied by yogurt with fruit and chocolate milk to drink.
At 8am it was nap time. Yes, really.
Ledecky will take a nap at 8 a.m. after eating two breakfasts (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The gym would then await Ledecky from 11 a.m. to noon.
But before that, she has to gobble up some yogurt, honey, granola and mixed berries. A fruit like an apple or pear would go with it all.
Lunch would be pasta and chicken or a Caesar salad with double chicken and avocado, followed by another nap.
Before returning to the pool at 3:30 p.m., the American swimmer ate fruit with toast and peanut butter.
After practice — starting at 6:30 p.m. — Ledecky would focus on yogurt and chocolate milk before dinner, which would consist of pasta or white rice.
She already has a bronze medal to her name in 2024 (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
This dish would be topped with white beans, tomatoes, garlic and chicken or steak – there’s no room for sweets, ice cream, cake or soda.
His daily caloric intake was estimated at about 3,500 calories, which is 1,000 more than the average man and 1,500 more than the average woman.
It’s not quite Phelps’ 10,000 to 12,000 a day, but it’s still a very impressive amount of food.
