Watch: Katie Ledecky Post 800 Free Press Conference

2016 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS

Multiple world record holder Katie Ledecky became the third U.S. team member to win a third individual event this week after swimming the third-fastest time ever in the 800 freestyle Saturday night.  Ledecky spoke with the press following that victory.  You can watch the full press conference video above, but here are a few highlights:

Asked about Missy Franklin‘s struggles, Ledecky responded:

Yeah, she is such a fighter and she might be disappointed with her swims this week but she has nothing to be disappointed about. She is on the team in Rio and she is going to be a real team leader and you can count on her to swim fast. I’m excited to be on a relay with her again, and I think it’s going to be a really great team up and down. I know it’s going to be a lot of fun, and Missy is somebody that always makes it fun.

On the team largely transitioning, with lots of new members:

I think it’s an exciting time. I saw something about the number of rookies, like first-time Olympians, and it’s a couple more than it was in 2012, and the meet is not over yet. So we’ve got a lot of rookie skits to look forward to. Thankfully I don’t have to do that again.

About the 800 free final:

I just could feel that I wasn’t really able to bring my legs in, swimming with a one- or two-beat kick the whole time. When I really start to get going, I can bring in that kick and get into a good rhythm, and that wasn’t there tonight and kinda made my arms more tired than they normally get.

Read the full transcript here.

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