The US' Katie Ledecky. GETTY IMAGES

After setting the Paris pool on fire in the Summer Games, the most decorated female American Olympian of all time is on a book tour: her recent memoir, ‘Just Add Water’ is aimed at motivating others to compete through sports, she explains.

In an interview with American broadcaster CBS on Tuesday, Katie Ledecky said she hopes to inspire young swimmers and expects to vie for medals again in 2028 at the Los Angeles Games. "There are many days that are hard. There are many races that are challenging, but I love it. I love being with my team-mates. I love setting goals for myself and pursuing them," she stated on the channel’s morning show.

It was quite the grind in the leadup to the 2024 Games and now Ledecky, currently 27, is taking a much-needed break to "soak it all in" after non-stop practices and facing Olympic-level pressure during the competition in the French capital.

Addressing the media was among the chief requirements of her daily Games routine, yet the superstar swimmer seemed way more relaxed when addressing her new memoir, which follows her journey from Bethesda, Maryland, to becoming one of the greatest athletes of her generation. Her latest exploits include coming home from Paris 2024 with four medals, including two golds, adding to her collection of 14 overall with 9 golds.

The US' Katie Ledecky competes in the final of the women's 200m in Paris. GETTY IMAGES
The US' Katie Ledecky competes in the final of the women's 200m in Paris. GETTY IMAGES

In ‘Just add water’, Ledecky also recalls personal episodes, like when she met another iconic athlete, Michael Phelps, at just six years of age. "I got a high-five from him in the ready room when I was 15 at the Olympics in London and at that moment I just flashed back immediately to looking up at him, getting his autograph … that made such an impact on me," she shared.

Phelps and Ledecky became team-mates 12 years ago in the English capital and joined forces again prior to the Paris Games, when they lambasted the World Anti-Doping Agency for its mishandling of the Chinese swimmers’ doping case, which was revealed earlier this year by US and German-based media.



Ledecky also revealed during the CBS interview that she wrote about often being compared to a male swimmer's stroke. "When I was first coming on to the scene, I was swimming with a bit of a different stroke than a lot of the other female distance swimmers were swimming with and I think that's really what made me so great, what shot me onto the scene was doing something a little different," she recalled. "I hope that in the future and maybe even today people can say, 'Oh she swims like Katie Ledecky,' or, 'She has Katie's stroke.'"

Despite her impressive medal haul, Ledecky may not be done yet as the four-time Olympian hopes to compete in the biggest stage again in California.  "I would love to swim in LA. I think an Olympics in the United States, it's a unique opportunity," she said. "Not every athlete gets to compete in an Olympics on home soil." 

After her well-deserved vacation, the Maryland native will head back to the University of Florida for training, already looking ahead to possibly competing in her fifth Games in four years. "I'll be ready to give it my all again," promised Ledecky, who is hoping to cap off an outstanding 2024 year after being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US president Joe Biden in May.