Katie Ledecky Will Be Spending International Women's Day Making a Splash (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Katie Ledecky.Photo:Courtesy of Athleta; Kristy Sparow/Getty

Courtesy of Athleta; Kristy Sparow/Getty

Katie Ledeckyis celebrating International Women’s Day doing what she loves.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in partnership withAthleta’sThe Power of SheCollective, thenine-time gold medalist Olympianspeaks about her plans for International Women’s Day and reflects on her experience at the2024 Paris Olympics.

For International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, Ledecky, 27, will be (drumroll, please) swimming! “I will be spending my International Women’s Day training, which I think is very much in line with the Power of She,” she says.

Katie Ledecky for Athleta.Courtesy of Athleta

Courtesy of Athleta

With the Power of She Collective, Athleta is reaffirming its commitment to empowering women in sports — and Ledecky says she is “really excited to be involved.”

“It’s a group of great female athletes that I’m honored to be a part of, and the Power of She fund provides some really game-changing grants and monetary support to organizations that champion women and girls through movement,” Ledecky says. “It’s all about women, [it’s] women-forward and that’s something that I feel very passionate about as an athlete.”

From now until March 10, fans can purchaseAthleta’s Power of She sweatshirtfor $49, available in several colors and styles. All proceeds from the sales will benefit thePower of She Fund, which helps empower female athletes in diverse ways, including providing grants for child care support and inclusive wellness programming.

Katie Ledecky in 2024.Maddie Meyer/Getty

Maddie Meyer/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Women’s History Month comes just over half a year since theParis Olympics, where Ledecky took hometwo gold medals(forwomen’s 1500m freestyleand women’s 800m freestyle), one silver (women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay) and one bronze (women’s 400m freestyle).

Ledecky says that she and the swim team, “a great mix of veterans and rookies,” spent weeks together between Olympic trials and the actual games in Paris. “We all tried to share our experiences that we’ve had in the past with the younger athletes and get them well prepared,” she recalled.

She also remembered the empowering encounters in theOlympic Village, where she “had so many great little moments in line at the cafeteria or in the elevator with with some of the other athletes, just asking them when they’re competing wishing them good luck.”

“I was honored to be a flag bearer there, and that was a really great opportunity to meet a lot more of Team USA,” she says. “And at that point, everyone’s done competing, everyone’s really happy and in a celebratory mood, so it was a lot of fun to just enjoy that moment with my teammates.”

Ledecky, a 14-time Olympic medalist, has plenty else to look forward to, including speaking as a commencement speaker at her alma mater, Stanford, this spring, and continuing to train for her next big events — as well as hopefully team up with some of the other incredible athletes in the Power of She collective with her.

“I love every opportunity I get to see athletes from other sports and do some fun things with them as well,” she said. “In the Power of She Collective, we have some powerhouse athletes — obviously Simone Biles. I’ve been on a few Olympic teams with her and love every opportunity I get to do things with her, and obviously she’s such a force. … Most recently, Lexie Hull and Kate Martin joined the collective, two great basketball players in the WNBA. Lexi actually was at Stanford some of the same years I was. We didn’t really get to know each other too well while at Stanford, but I’m hoping, over these next two years, we’ll be able to get to do some things together.”

source: people.com