- Katie Ledecky just became the most decorated female American Olympian.
- Team USA's Erin Gemmell once dressed as Katie for Halloween. She just won a silver medal alongside her.
- Teammates Erin and Claire Weinstein tell Women's Health they "idolized" Katie.
When it comes to swimming, there are a few icons that stand out—Katie Ledecky is one of them. By winning silver in August 1's 4x200-meter freestyle relay, the 27-year-old nabbed her 13th medal across four Olympic Games, making her the most decorated female American Olympian.
But Katie didn't race alone—she swam alongside teammates Paige Madden, Erin Gemmell and Claire Weinstein. "To accomplish that with a relay feels fitting to me," she told reporters after the race, per the Washington Post. "I’ve been on that relay so many times over the years with so many great people. So it’s really special to do it as part of a relay."
Naturally, Erin and Claire told Women's Health that they're starstruck to win silver alongside Katie.
“Being on a relay with Katie Ledecky—and even just being on a team with her—is crazy,” Claire told WH at the Team USA House in Paris after winning silver. “I remember watching the 2016 Olympics and the 2021 Olympics from my house and just looking up to all those girls.”
The 17-year-old added that it’s “amazing being able to learn from them and take stuff out of the experiences they have.”
Meanwhile, Erin and Katie have a shared history together: Erin's father Bruce Gemmell used to be Katie's coach, meaning Erin has “assorted pictures of me at various stages of growth with a lot of the women on this team, especially Katie.” Hilariously, Erin even once dressed up as Katie for Halloween, borrowing a medal and oversized jacket from her older brother to complete the look.
Now, she says, she has a feeling that she’s “made it” because she's competing alongside them.
“It makes it feel a lot bigger, in a sense, to be on a team with these people that you've idolized this whole time,” Erin said.
Now, Katie stands to make even more history. If she wins Saturday's 800-meter freestyle, she’ll join Michael Phelps as the only swimmers of any gender from any country to win four golds for the same event.
She’ll have her teammates—and many more fans—cheering her on along the way. Go Katie!