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Katie Ledecky Let Jimmy Fallon Try on a Freestyle Gold Medal
What does it feel like to win seven Olympic gold medals? "Heavy," says Ledecky — so she loaned one out.
Katie Ledecky has been called "the greatest female swimmer of all-time," and she'll be representing the U.S. again this July at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. So, how does winning all of those medals feel?
"Heavy," Ledecky joked during her first visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Ledecky brought home the gold from when she competed first in the 2012 Olympics in London, then in Rio 2016, and in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The swimming champ proudly wore a few of those medals when she appeared on the talk show in August 2021.
After walking out to a rousing applause and standing ovation from the audience, Ledecky sat for her conversation with Jimmy Fallon, who couldn't help but notice the honors adorning the superstar swimmer's neck.
"It's heavy — so I think I need to give you one," Ledecky told Fallon, as she took one off and handed it to him.
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"Wow. It is heavy," Fallon said as he took it in his hands. Joking that "this feels like I was in the Olympics" as he put it on, Fallon then stood up and waved to the cheering crowd as if he was standing on the podium.
"Out of all the medals you've won, do you have a favorite one?" asked Fallon.
"I really like these," Ledecky said of her Tokyo medals.
"The front is always the same. There's the event on the edge all the time. So let's see which event you won, Jimmy," she said as they looked on the side of the medal. "You won the 800 meter freestyle!"
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Fallon will get a much closer look at this year's medals in Paris this August, as he'll co-host the Closing Ceremony with Mike Tirico.
Katie Ledecky on her friendship with Michael Phelps
Showing the Tonight Show audience the infamous photo of nine-year-old Ledecky meeting Micheal Phelps as a young fan, Fallon asked her about her friendship with fellow swimming legend Michael Phelps, and about how people online call her the GOAT (an abbreviation for "greatest of all time") of swimming.
"There are so many great swimmers throughout the years. Of course Michael Phelps is the GOAT, and I'm just honored to carry on the legacy of really great female swimmers in the U.S," she said humbly.
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Ledecky told Fallon that Phelps has been "such a great friend" to her over the years. "He was there in Tokyo supporting us and cheering us on which was great."
Hopefully Ledecky will add some more medals to her collection when hits the pools in Paris.
