Katie Ledecky On Time Magazine List Of 30 Most Influential Teens

Katie Ledecky
Photo Courtesy: Maria Dobysheva

Since winning the gold medal in the 800 freestyle at the 2012 Olympics, Katie Ledecky has been inspiring a generation of female swimmers to become the next top distance swimmer in the world.

This year, she continued to amaze and motivate with five gold medals at the world championships, including becoming the first person to win four gold medals in freestyle events at one meet. That earned Ledecky the Female Swimmer of the Meet award and USA Swimming’s Athlete of the Year honor. Now, she is part of a talented group, named on the list of Time Magazine’s 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015.

Ledecky was part of a group that made a “global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news.” Ledecky, 18, certainly did that during the week of the world championships in Russia, setting world records in the 800 and 1500 freestyles.

“The next Michael Phelps has arrived,” Time wrote in its blurb about Ledecky.

Ledecky isn’t the only competitive swimmer on the list. Olivia Hallisey is gaining acclaim for discovering a way to test for ebola cheaply and without the need for refrigeration, a discovery that could help disadvantaged areas of the world. Hallisey won a Google competition for developing the test. Hallisey represents the Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club in Connecticut, where she is an accomplished butterflyer and freestyler.

Among the others on the list are entrepreneurs, entertainers and athletes. Many are using their fame to push social change agendas, while others are turning heads for their business savvy. Among the other athletes on the list are snowboarder Chloe Kim, soccer player Martin Odegaard and golfer Lydia Ko.

Missy Franklin was part of this list in 2013, the year she won six gold medals at the world championships.

Click here to see the full list.

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