PALO ALTO, Calif. — Katie Ledecky was not angling to become the face of American swimming when she joined the Palisades Porpoises as a 6-year-old. Her grand goal was to make it to the other side of the 25-yard pool without having to stop and rest on the lane line.
“Swimming is really just for me still a hobby,” Ledecky said. Then she caught herself. “It’s more than that now, I guess.”
Ledecky, 21, was speaking in June, shortly after she had secured her first major sponsorship, a seven-year deal with the TYR swimwear company worth more than $7 million.