What does an Olympian do after they take home four medals? They eat a burger, of course.
Swimming sensation Katie Ledecky did just that when her time in the pool was over at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ultimately winning two gold medals and two silver medals. Yeah, it's safe to say the 24-year-old definitely earned her post-match indulgence, though it wasn't her usual go-to celebratory meal.
"I only had about an hour to get ready [for interviews], so I literally just had cereal on a PB&J," Katie recently told E! News of her first meal after her final competition at the Olympics. "That night though for dinner I was doing media somewhere else and they had a lot better food. So I did get a hamburger there and that was great!"
And that's not the only secret she's spilling. Katie also opened up about her intense training schedule, what a day of eating typically looks like for her and the surprising way Katie—who recently partnered with BIC Soleil Razor—and her teammates like to prepare for their matches. Hint: It may or may not be a shaving party.
And will she make another splash at the 2024 Games in Paris? Well, you'll just have to wait and see…
E! News: What does an average day of training look like for you?
Katie Ledecky: On a hard day, I'll have two swim practices and a weight session. I swim twice a day, four times a week and once a day, twice a week and then I have Sundays off. I swim nine to ten times a week and then three weight sessions per week.
E!: And what does a typical day of eating look like for you while you are training?
KL: On a really busy day I would wake up around 5:30 a.m. and have some light breakfast, like oatmeal with a banana, and head to practice and do my swim practice. Then have chocolate milk and maybe a banana or a granola bar. I then do my weights session and then have some sort of lunch, usually some eggs, maybe an egg sandwich. I usually have a pre-afternoon practice snack, some Greek yogurt with granola is a typical snack for me with some berries. Then I have afternoon practice from maybe 3-5 p.m., and then I'll come back home and make dinner, and maybe an evening snack, a little bit later as well.
E!: Does your diet change when you are not training?
KL: I keep it pretty consistent. The only day that I don't train is Sundays so even right now when I'm taking a little bit of time off, I'm trying to stick to a pretty regular routine. So oatmeal for breakfast, some sort of egg sandwich for lunch, or eggs with toast and then dinner is what varies the most but it is either carbs or some sort of protein: chicken, steak, salmon, something along those lines.
E!: What is your favorite indulgence?
KL: Definitely pizza. Pizza is my go-to post meet, celebration meal.
E!: Are there any foods that you have to add to your diet while training that you don't love but they're necessary for you to train?
KL: I don't like a lot of different types of fish, but I know that it's good for me. So salmon is kind of that one thing that I try to eat at least once a week.
E!: How do you commit to you training diet and stay disciplined?
KL: I know that everything that I do can make an impact on my training and my performance. It's pretty easy when you're thinking about food in terms of helping your performance, to stick to what you know will help you.
E!: What is your typical self-care routine before a competition at the Olympics??
KL: Before racing and before a big meet, it's really important to make sure you're doing all the little things right and getting as much rest as you can. A big thing for [my team] is the night before a competition starts, we all shave and so that's when I use my Bic Solei razor. We have a shaving party and we played cards, and after we did that of course we all get to bed super early. It's a lot of fun being with Team USA and we just keep things light. I think that's the most important thing when we're in the hard training and I'm about to go into the toughest competition in the world, we just try to keep things fun and just relax as much as we can.
E!: How does BIC Razor give you confidence and improve your performance?
KL: Shaving is a big part of every swimmer's routine, especially for the big meets. It just feels so good when you dive into the water and you get that smooth glide. So yeah, it's, it's always been part of my routine and it's been such a great partnership because, at the heart, of our partnership has been talking about confidence and trying to inspire others and I feel like we were able to do that this summer. I get confidence from working hard and putting in the work and doing all the little things right. Hopefully we were successfully able to show that this summer and through this partnership, inspire others to work hard and have that confidence in themselves to dream big and achieve big things.
E!: There is a lot of pressure put on female athletes and a lot commentary on their appearances. How do you handle that criticism and spotlight?
KL: I'm just focused on what I can control and, again, just trying to do all the little things right. Just looking back on this long journey, every choice I make from the razor that I use for the smooth shave, to the time I dive into the pool and the work that I put into the pool, I know all that prepares me to just be the best version of myself. And that's all I can ask of myself is to be the best that I can be and compete at the highest level and try to inspire others to do the same.
E!: How would you say your relationship with your body and your confidence has evolved over your swimming career?
KL: I've never really thought of that. I just know that I'm putting in the work and trying to be as strong and as ready as possible for each of my races and I've been training for so long for these moments and that my body and my mind are prepared to to tackle these big races when it's time to dive in.
E!: Now that you get a little bit of a break, is there anything that you're looking forward to?
KL: Right now, I'm just taking some time to let this sink in and enjoy time with my family and friends. But then I'll be getting back into training pretty soon and I have my eyes set on Paris and 2024 and setting my goals along the way for that. I started setting some short-term and long-term goals and I'll get to work.