Katie Ledecky returned to Stanford on June 15th as the youngest commencement speaker in the university’s history. She graduated in 2020 with a major in psychology and a minor in political science, but missed her own commencement due to the Olympic Trials overlapping with the ceremony. She was voted by the undergraduate class to give this year’s address.
At Stanford Stadium, Ledecky delivered a 21-minute address to the Class of 2025 during the university’s 134th graduation ceremony. Surrounded by faculty, family, and friends, the graduates celebrated the completion of an academic journey that began amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The central theme of Ledecky’s speech was about going the distance in whichever path the graduates choose.
“You don’t have to win the race,” she said, sharing that she’s swum an estimated 26,000 miles to get where she is today. “You just need to win your race. And winning your race means falling in love with the process. Fall in love with the process, not the podium.”
During her speech, Ledecky also shared the story of winning her first Olympic gold at just 15, in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Games:
“Nobody knows who I am. The Olympics are in London, and the defending Olympic champion and favorite in my race is British. Her name is Becky Adlington, a really gracious champion. I know the crowd will be chanting ‘Becky! Becky!’ and I have programmed myself to think they are shouting ‘Ledecky! Ledecky!’”
“Prince William and Princess Kate are there. And it is so loud. It gets quiet for swimmers. ‘Take your mark.’ Then the beep goes off. I dive in – and I’m instantly in the lead.”
“My coach at the time, Yuri Suguiyama, and another coach, the late great Jon Urbanchek, had advised me to be cautious – not to go out too fast, given the excitement I would feel swimming in the lane next to the reigning Olympic champion. Well … I didn’t quite listen to that advice. I took the lead from the start and I kept expanding on it. About midway through the race, I remember thinking, ‘Where is everybody?’ There’s a brief second where I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. Like I’ve gone out too fast. Then I tell myself just keep going. And I did. I won by over four seconds.”
“After my win, Coach Urbanchek comes up to me with this befuddled look on his face and says, ‘You didn’t follow the plan.’ Then he gives me a big hug and says, ‘But that’s OK.’”
“Later that night in the Olympic Village, I watched the replay of the race. For most of the race, the NBC announcers seemed like they were trying to will me into slowing down.”
“Thirty-five seconds into the race, I’m leading, and they say: ‘She needs to take her foot off the pedal here.’ Twenty seconds later, still in the lead: ‘She swam too fast. She needs to settle back and get into a rhythm.’ Another two minutes later, they question my strategy: ‘She is so far out there now – unless she has a lot of confidence in her stroke and her pace, it may be a little quick. Because these wily veterans know exactly what they’re doing.’”
“Finally, three-quarters of the way through the race, the tone of the announcers changes. Now they’re celebrating as I extend my lead and eventually win. No second-guessing, no telling me to take my foot off the pedal.”
“Okay, the point is not to criticize the announcers – they were just doing their jobs. But can you imagine what it would’ve been like for me if I were hearing that commentary the whole time I was swimming? I’d be thinking, hmm, maybe they’re right. I should probably slow down.”
“The point is: You will probably have people tell you to pace yourself, try not to rush, you’re still young. And that might be the right advice.”
She closed her address with this statement: “Take your mark, and go out there and make your mark.”
After the ceremony, Ledecky expressed her gratitude on Instagram: “Old friends, new friends, and family time on the Farm. Thank you @stanford @stanfordclassof25 for a fun weekend and for the honor of speaking at your Commencement! Congratulations and the best is yet to come… go the distance.”
Watch the full speech here, courtesy of Stanford University’s official YouTube channel:
Ledecky is the current world record holder in both the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle events, in both short course and long course meters. She also holds the American records in the 500, 1000, and 1650-yard freestyles.
During her two years at Stanford, the Bethesda, Maryland won eight national titles and setting NCAA records in the 500 free, 1000 free, 1650 free, 400 free relay, and 800 free relay. As a collegiate swimmer, she broke American records 11 times, NCAA records 15 times, and NCAA meet records six times.
Ledecky, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time defending Olympic champion in the 800 free, has won the world title in that event six times between 2013 and 2023. She holds 22 of the 25 fastest 800 free performances in history, as well as 23 of the 25 fastest 1500 free performances, including 24 of the top 25 overall. Across her career, she has set a total of 16 world records.
Her Olympic medal count stands at 14, including nine golds. Ledecky has also claimed 21 World Championship titles and earned 26 world championship medals in total. Altogether, she has won 50 medals across major international competitions, including the Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships.
Ledecky is widely regarded as not only the greatest freestyler in history, but also the greatest female swimmer ever.
Take notes male 800m freestylers!
Wow, I just listened to the whole speech. Just so good. So related for y8ur life. Thank you Katie! A true champion.
Wow, it made me tear up. I remember her race very well when she won her first gold. Such an inspiration. Great speech.
I liked how Ledecky structured her commemoration speech like a swimming workout:
Warmup: opening humor, some self-deprecating remarks
Build-into-it 1st set: “Find Your Pacing”
Grind-it-out 2nd set: “Dig into the Process”
Finale 3rd set: “Timing: Keep Your Goals in Mind”
She seemed very poised. I guess all those interviews over the years with Coleman paid off.
Excellent speech!