The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

Virginia: Katie Ledecky

Sport: Swimming

Olympics: London 2012 and Rio 2016

In a slight bending of the rules, swimmer Katie Ledecky makes the list even though she was born in Washington, D.C. Since this isn’t really a state, it felt unfair to leave off the accomplishments Ledecky already has under her belt. She is still only 20 years old and the future is very bright if she chooses to keep competing.

Despite her young age, Ledecky is already one of the more decorated female swimmers in history. She provided quite the shock in 2012 when she made the Olympic team and was the youngest member of Team USA at 15 years, 4 months, and 10 days. Just making the Olympics at that age is an achievement and when Ledecky made the final in the 800-meter freestyle, she was visibly overjoyed to just be there. That worked to her advantage as she was able to beat out her competition by a whopping four seconds for one of the more surprising victories of the 2012 Games. Many assumed that is was a one-time fluke for Ledecky and that she was just a kid who didn’t quite grasp the moment. Ledecky crushed that theory in Rio de Janerio in 2016.

She made history multiple times over, including being the first swimmer to win the 200, 400, and 800-meter events since 1968. She took home four golds and one silver, making her the most decorated female athlete in a single Olympics and only Michael Phelps won more medals in 2016 than Ledecky. She currently holds world records in the 400, 800, and 1500 meter events and holds the mark for combined Olympic medals and world championships at 19. Ledecky has already accomplished more than most swimmers ever and still has much in front of her.

Honorable Mention: LaShawn Merritt, track and field in London 2012 and Rio 2016