Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel Riding Relaxed Confidence into Olympic Trials

Katie Ledecky during her pre-meet press conference at Olympic Trials -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel Riding Relaxed Confidence into Olympic Trials

Katie Ledecky had a smile on her face. She joked about not having tapered in almost two years and anticipated the next series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the New York Islanders, co-owned by her uncle Jon. Next to Ledecky on the press conference dias was Stanford teammate and fellow Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel, who was a little less chatty than Ledecky but did offer some poignant thoughts about serving as a role model for young minority swimmers and increasing diversity in swimming.

Simone Manuel at her Olympic Trials pre-meet press conference — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

On Manuel’s other side was Greg Meehan, their coach at Stanford and the head women’s coach for this year’s Olympic team. Meehan had to tamper some early expectations fueled by breaststroker Lilly King, who one day earlier declared that the American women could legitimately win every single gold medal in Tokyo. Meehan also pointed out that performance quality at the Olympic Trials in Omaha was relatively unimportant, especially compared to simply selecting a team that has a recent history of performing to its full potential at the Olympic Games.

No one uttered any specific goals or expectations, but those need not be stated explicitly. This trio certain to be so central to the Olympic team has every ounce of confidence they need, even at the onset of a mentally arduous two-month stretch from the Trials to the Games.

In response to a question about whether she was fully tapered for Trials, Ledecky pointed out the necessity of maintaining relatively high training volume (but with lighter intensity) because of her busy schedule of distance swims. Meehan concurred, noting that Manuel would also need to keep the training load relatively high, even as a sprinter, with a busy schedule at the end of the meet.

And then, Meehan added, “Coming out of this week and into what’s next, I feel like we have a good plan for that and we have a good sort of recipe for that, as we have done in the past.”

That’s pure confidence, an absolute certainty built only through successfully navigating this Trials-to-Olympics path in the past and knowing how to successfully repeat it.

Asked about the Australian Olympic Trials happening concurrently with the American meet, Ledecky said she was not very concerned about how her Australian rivals would be performing. Sure, she would hear about times coming out of Adelaide, but spend the week furiously checking times? No chance.

Looking ahead to the Olympics, Ledecky will be the heavy favorite for gold in the 800 and 1500 free, but Australia’s Ariarne Titmus will present a huge challenge in both the 200 and 400 free, and Titmus swimming the second-fastest time in history in the 400 free (3:56.90) will surely test Ledecky’s resolve for tunnel vision. Ledecky will also have to contend with Aussie Emma McKeon in the 200 free, and Manuel is in the exact same situation, with both McKeon and Cate Campbell looking like formidable opponents in the sprint freestyles. But still, that meet is not taking up much of Ledecky’s headspace this week.

“My focus is on Omaha. It’s not on anything else,” she said. “I mean, the medals aren’t given this week, so I don’t think we have to get too caught up in what times people are going here versus anywhere else in the world right now.”

katie-ledecky-tyr-pro-series-mission-viejo-finals11

Katie Ledecky diving off the blocks at a meet at April’s TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo — Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

And how can she keep her mind away from the numbers game and avoid getting too stressed out? Because she has the belief in her training and her plan that when the time comes, when the medals are actually awarded, she will be as prepared and polished as possible. That’s no guarantee of gold medals, of course, but that she will have her best foot put forward on the day.

At the Rio Olympics, when Ledecky was 19 and Manuel had just turned 20, both were overcome with emotions after winning a gold medal. When Manuel tied with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak for gold in the 100 free, she burst into tears almost immediately, the shock of her triumph and the weight of becoming the first African American gold medalist in swimming crashing upon her. A day later, after Ledecky won the 800 free as expected, the emotions of finishing up her journey to Rio and accomplishing her goals overwhelmed her.

This week in Omaha, dozens of swimmers will experience powerful emotions as they either become first-time Olympians or just miss out on achieving their dream, but Ledecky and Manuel will be among the veterans as comfortable as any in that excruciating environment. The clichés are familiar—a business trip, part of the process—but for these two athletes, appropriate.

Omaha represents part of a carefully-crafted plan, not the endpoint for long-term goals. Both Ledecky and Manuel likely believe they will swim faster at the Games than at Trials. In 2016, both made massive improvements, allowing Ledecky to smash her world records in the 400 and 800 free and edge out Sarah Sjostrom in the 200 free and allowing Manuel to capture that 100 free gold medal and a 50 free silver. And so the gauntlet of Olympic Trials becomes a familiar old friend.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

1 Comment

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Thomas A. Small

2 years ago

Congratulations Ladys