Ahead of the upcoming Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps joked that he “hasn't counted” his 28 Olympic medals, but he also had high praise for fellow American swimmer Katie Ledecky.
In a new promotion for the 2024 Paris Olympics that aired on NBC, Phelps, 38, read the children's book “The Katie Ledecky Story” to a group of young fans.
“Katie won her first gold medal at age 15, which is rare – no other woman can match her swimming medal total,” the swimming legend wrote. The children listened intently as footage of the 27-year-old Ledecky swimming in various events was played.
“I've heard that if you add up the distance she's swum in training and racing, it's the equivalent of swimming around the globe,” Phelps continued.
“In France, she was more likely to win than anyone except the greatest of all time…” the Olympian said, and all the kids yelled, “Michael Phelps!”
One of the students asked Phelps, “How many Olympic medals have you won?”
“I don't count,” Phelps said, grinning and turning to the camera, “28.”
Ledecky has won 10 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold, while Phelps has won 28 medals, 23 of which are gold.
On Saturday, June 15, Ledecky earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials by winning the 400 meter freestyle in front of more than 20,000 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Ledecky qualified for the race with a decisive performance of 3 minutes 58.35 seconds, and then went on to qualify for the 200m and 1,500m events.
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“Just coming out of this tunnel tonight, looking around and enjoying this moment,” she told reporters after the race. “We've come a long way and I'm so glad everyone came out to support us. It was a great first night.”
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Ledecky's win on Saturday likely sets up a showdown between the seven-time gold medalist and Ariarne Titmuss of Australia, who beat the Maryland native to win gold in the 400-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.
With the Paris Games set to begin on July 26th, Ledecky recently spoke about her feelings in an interview with People magazine.
“I'm a leader on the team both in and out of the pool and I want to try and make the younger swimmers feel like they're part of a team and belong at the Olympic level,” Ledecky said.
Meanwhile, Phelps is enjoying retirement as a father to four children. On April 2, Phelps shared a photo of his wife Nicole and their son, Niko Michael, who was born on January 16.
“My happy place,” he captioned the photo on his Instagram Stories, adding a heart emoji.
The couple also have three-year-old son Maverick, five-year-old son Beckett, and seven-year-old son Boomer.
