Jun 3, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Stanford swimmer Katie Ledecky looks at the scoreboard after the A Finals of the Women's 200m Freestyle at George F. Haines International Swim Center. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Katie Ledecky Delivers Commencement Speech at Stanford graduation

Originally posted on Stanford Cardinal on SI
By Dylan Grausz | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Congratulations to the Class of 2025. On Sunday, Stanford University held its 134th annual commencement ceremony, recognizing all the graduating undergrads as well as post grad students who received post graduate degrees. As is this case with every ceremony, a commencement speech was delivered, addressing the graduates as they embarked on their next chapters.

But this year's speech held a little more weight, not necessarily by what was said, but who it was said by. This year, Stanford legend and four-time Olympian Katie Ledecky was the speaker at this year's ceremony.

Graduating from Stanford in June of 2021, Ledecky swam for the university's swim team under head coach Greg Meehan for two years before turning pro in 2018, setting numerous records and becoming one of the best swimmers in the world.

In Ledecky's speech, which was around 20 minutes long, she talked about many things but one topic that she talked about was her mentality when she is swimming. During part of her statement, Ledecky spoke on what she thinks about whenever she is in the pool and how she relies on a strong support system around her to help her through certain moments.

"You can't go the distance alone," Ledecky said.

“You can’t go the distance alone.”@katieledecky, ’20, a record-setting student-athlete whose 14 medals are the most for any U.S. female Olympian, addressed graduates at Stanford’s 134th Commencement ceremony on Sunday.

Full : https://t.co/rD8mMsOkRo pic.twitter.com/LJAH3zpwcf
— Stanford University (@Stanford) June 16, 2025

The most decorated American woman in Olympic history, Ledecky's career has seen her dominate. But at times, she has also experienced times of struggle and disappointment, something that we all experience in our lives. Ledecky worked very hard to get to where she was, and in her speech, she talked about how her mindset has been a big part of her career.

After graduating from Stanford, Ledecky became a volunteer swim coach at the University of Florida in 2021--a role that she still holds to this day. And while she helps coach the swim team, she also uses her role as a chance to train with the Gators as well.

During the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in June of last year, Ledecky was seen repping a Gators swim cap as she qualified for her fourth Olympics in Paris.

After the 2024 games, Ledecky took some time off from big time competitions before returning to the pool for the 2025 TYR Pro Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in May, breaking her own world record in the 800-meter freestyle, finishing the race in 8:04.12.

While 28-years-old, an age that some Olympians opt to stop competing, Ledecky has expressed her desire and intent to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, hoping to add even more hardware to her already massive collection.

This article first appeared on Stanford Cardinal on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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