‘I’m training just as hard as I normally would:’ Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky on preparing for Tokyo

Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Katie Ledecky, five time Olympic gold medalist, discuss training amid the pandemic and expectations for the Tokyo Olympics.

Video Transcript

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: Now a treat. Olympic athletes are busy training for the upcoming summer games in Tokyo after last year's games were postponed because of the pandemic. Swimming sensation and five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is taking some time out of her busy training schedule to join us. And Katie, it's so good to see you. Thanks for being with us.

KATIE LEDECKY: Yeah, thanks for having me, Alexis.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: So look, we're hoping that these games happen. Tokyo's committed to making them happen. But there's still so much uncertainty around the games. How are you training for those games during this pandemic? And how are you staying focused?

KATIE LEDECKY: I'm training just as hard as I normally would. The first couple of months during the pandemic, I had to swim in an outdoor backyard pool. But I'm back in my normal training environment. I'm training really hard and working towards Tokyo.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: Congratulations, by the way, because you graduated from Stanford in the fall, amidst the pandemic, with a degree in psychology. So way to go.

KATIE LEDECKY: Thank you.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: We're seeing a lot of college athletics get upended because of the pandemic. You yourself decided to go pro two years into your program, swimming for Stanford. What do you make of the state of college athletics right now? And should there be some lessons learned from the pandemic on how they move forward?

KATIE LEDECKY: Yeah, I'm still training with the Stanford swim team. And they're actually off to compete in the Pac-12 championships this week. So I'm cheering them on from here. But it's disappointing to see so many college sports cut around the country, especially Olympic sports. I think the Olympic sports, there are so many young athletes out there that are competing in Olympic sports. And there really is a grassroots youth sports group and really, so many young athletes that want to compete in college and have those opportunities.

And college is oftentimes a route to the Olympics and a part of the journey to the Olympics for a lot of athletes. So I really hope that Olympic sports will stick around in college. And a lot of colleges, I know, have tough decisions to make. I know a lot of schools have had really tough decisions to make. But I hope that when we get to the other side of this pandemic, things will look up and, and things can continue to move forward.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: So you've been a pro athlete now for about three years. So still in your infancy there, Katie. But when you think about your business and your brand going forward, what are some things that you want to be able to attain five years from now? What are some platforms you think that you want to be aligned with as part of being a pro athlete?

KATIE LEDECKY: I've been very lucky to be able to partner with some really great brands and sponsors that have supported me and supported me through the pandemic and also are doing really great things in our nation and our world. And they've really supported me and helped me make a difference.

And so for an example, I spoke to a school in Newark last week, virtually-- I wish I could have done it in person-- with Panasonic about STEM education and goal setting and all these things. And so education is something that's really important to me and something that I'm really speaking about and speaking to a lot of young students nationwide. And I'm really committed to partnering with brands that I believe in, that I use their products, I like their products, and that are making a difference in the world.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: What are some of those brands that you are aligned with, Katie?

KATIE LEDECKY: My swimwear brand that I'm aligned with is Tier Sport. And I'm also partnered with Panasonic and Visa and a number of Olympic sponsors that have really supported me and have been on the Olympic stage, supporting the Olympics through this time. And I'm excited for some of those things to roll out.

I can't tell you all of them right now. But I'm really, really excited to partner with some really great brands.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: Now, as you build your brand and build your business, does your eye turn to investing at all with some of the money that you're going to be making from being a pro athlete? Are invested in the stock market? I think you're 23. You're never too young. So are you invested? And what are your thoughts or investing philosophy, if you have one yet, Katie?

KATIE LEDECKY: I'm still building my philosophy. That's something that I work with my parents on as well. They've been great advisors to me through my professional career. And I know that as long as I'm being careful and smart with my money, I want to make sure that I am set for the future but also doing some good things and giving back where I can and really just taking things one step at a time.

As you said, I'm still an infant in the professional world and still getting my grounding. But I'm really confident and really blessed that I have a very supportive family and friends and a great team behind me.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: As you look ahead to these Summer Games, talk to me about what your personal goals might be because, I mean, boy, oh, boy, do you have the track record. You hold the world record in the women's 400, 800, and 1,500 meter freestyle. What are some personal goals you've set for yourself for the summer?

KATIE LEDECKY: I have some big goals. And don't take it personally, Alexis. But I don't share very specific goals with anybody except my coach. But I'm targeting all those events on your screen, a relay and four individual freestyle events. The 1,500 free is now in an Olympic event. So I'm really excited that I'll be able to compete in that for the first time at the Olympic stage. And I'm hoping that I'll get through Olympic trials smoothly in June and that we can take all the precautions to be healthy and ready to go in Tokyo.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: I think if we've learned anything through this pandemic, it's just how resilient we can be as a nation. But when you look at sports in particular, what do you think we can take away from this pandemic? What have we learned about the sports world, do you think?

KATIE LEDECKY: I think sports provides some great entertainment for people. I think that's never been seen more visibly. I think we're all stuck at home. And so to be able to watch sports is something that we've missed. We've missed watching sports live. And so to be able to watch some sports on TV is always great.

But I think also, learning from the sports world and how to manage this time-- I think a lot of leagues and teams have been helping the scientists learn more about prevention methods and all of those things. And I hope that in Tokyo we can take some of those lessons learned from some of these leagues on how to best bubble up the Olympics or bust bubble up a league and keep everyone healthy, so that we're doing our part and doing everything we can to not spread the virus.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: What do you think-- I know some states are looking at reopening sporting events, sporting venues. What's your feeling on that? I mean, I would imagine just for the overall psyche of the country, it would be a positive. But what are your feelings on those reopenings?

KATIE LEDECKY: Well, I think every county and state has to look at their area and make the decisions that are best for them. I know personally, we've been following our county and state guidelines very strictly. And I'm being tested multiple times a week and swimming one per lane and doing all the things that we can to keep everyone healthy around us.

So I think it's each state's decision. Each county has to make decisions. I know they're tough decisions. I think there are some examples of how sports can be done very safely if you're careful. Certainly, here at Stanford, we've been very lucky. My swim team has been very good. And we really haven't had any issues.

So I'm really fortunate to be in an environment that's being very careful, being very safe. And I hope that everyone else is doing that as well as sports come back.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: So Katie, what's the number one thing you're looking forward to during these summer games in Tokyo?

KATIE LEDECKY: I'm looking forward to representing Team USA. I think that's always such an honor. And I think when the Olympics were first postponed, I started thinking about how awesome it's going to be when the world can really come together again. And hopefully we're able to do that. And hopefully we're able to do that safely and successfully. And I think, hopefully, that will provide so much inspiration for the world. And we can really have a great games as Team USA.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOUROS: For sure. We certainly enjoy watching you swim. Katie Ledecky, best of luck to you at the Summer Games. We will be watching.

KATIE LEDECKY: Thank you.