Katie Ledecky tied Michael Phelps’ record with her seventh USA Swimming Athlete of the Year, awarded at the Golden Goggles in Miami on Tuesday night.
Ledecky, who bagged four medals and two golds at the Tokyo Olympics, earned Female Athlete of the Year over fellow finalists Lydia Jacoby, Lilly King and Regan Smith.
Caeleb Dressel, who took five golds in Tokyo, won his third Male Athlete of the Year award. The other finalists were Bobby Finke, Chase Kalisz and Ryan Murphy.
Ledecky was Female Athlete of the Year six consecutive times from 2013-18. Simone Manuel won it in 2019. There were no Golden Goggles in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Phelps was Male Athlete of the Year in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2014-16. Phelps would have won it in 2003, but Golden Goggles didn’t start until 2004.
Other Golden Goggles winners (races from Tokyo Olympics):
Breakout Performer: Lydia Jacoby
Perseverance Award: Annie Lazor
Coach of the Year: Gregg Troy
Relay Performance of the Year: Men’s Medley
Female Race of the Year: Lydia Jacoby, 100m breaststroke
Male Race of the Year: Bobby Finke, 800m freestyle
The next major swim meets are the world short-course championships from Dec. 16-21 in Abu Dhabi (featuring Jacoby) and the world championships trials in April in Greensboro, N.C.
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