Swimming-Ledecky made Olympic relay team with teenager Gemmell

“I've known Erin since she was seven years old and seeing how far she's come has been a very special moment,” Ledecky said poolside in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

“I definitely remember her as a seven-year-old, dressing up like me for Halloween,” she added with a laugh.

Gemmell said she was terrified of Ledecky when she first met her at family parties.

“But she was so welcoming to a little seven-year-old fan,” she said. “Katie was a very big influence. I don't think I would be here without her.

While Ledecky is pumped for the relay, she said she will likely skip the 200 individual freestyle in Paris to focus on the distance events, which should open the door for Madden to take her place in the event.

“Nothing is formally decided before the end of the week because I have to do what I want to do in the 800 and the mile, but if everything goes well, I have no intention of swimming individually in Paris ” she said. said.

The main reason she swam the individual 200m is to help inspire the team, she said.

“I just want to continue to be ready for this relay and push the other girls individually to try to make our team faster,” she said.

“We really want to put in a great performance and we have such a great history in this relay. We are very motivated to succeed there.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Indianapolis; editing by Peter Rutherford)

Disclaimer: This report is automatically generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.

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