When you’re a young teenager on the brink of greatness, there is a go-to phrase when it comes to describing these efforts: “And all before she earned her driver’s license!”
We saw it with Missy Franklin back in 2012, and then again with Katie Ledecky in 2016. Now in 2017, Regan Smith is the rising star who has yet to earn her license.
But between multiple practice sessions, school and international travel, the reason why is simple– these women are busy.
Amid the hectic schedule, Ledecky earned four gold medals and an additional silver in Rio. She then set her sights on getting to Stanford, decorating her dorm room and of course, obtaining her driver’s license.
As of August 30, Ledecky completed this trifecta. She announced her most recent accomplishment on Twitter, boasting the hashtag #dontaskmeagain:
Licensed to DRIVE! #dontaskmeagain pic.twitter.com/w55lqDYUGM
— Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) August 30, 2017
At the young ago of 20, Ledecky is ready to move on to bigger and better goals– and interview topics. But she was not the only one to add some humor to the matter. Teammates and fan pages added their own jokes to the news:
Yet another thing she’s beat me at, folks https://t.co/4MVdKbt5fC
— Katie Drabot (@katiedrabot) August 30, 2017
Well this explains why I saw someone lapping the rest of the field ? Congrats Katie! pic.twitter.com/TrbyoZgYUh
— Katie Ledecky Daily (@LedeckyDaily) August 30, 2017
The last frontier. Nothing can stop you now.
— michael sokolove (@michaelsokolove) August 30, 2017
Up next? Ledecky will head, and maybe drive, back to Stanford for her sophomore year. In good company, she will look to lead the Cardinal to back-to-back NCAA Championships.
Felicidades,!!!
That’s funny
Finally found some free time 🙂
Ledecky won an Olympic gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012 at the age of 15, and by 2015 had already won 9 World Championships titles and set many World Records. So she was not a “rising star” on the “brink” of greatness in 2016–she had already achieved it for several years. This was perhaps partially because she postponed immediately having to get a driver’s license at age 16. Franklin was 17 at London 2012 and can be seen in her Touch The Wall retrospective movie already driving herself to practice that year.