15-time world champion and 5-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is the latest spokesperson for chocolcate milk.
Watch the video:
Or, read the transcript below and submerge yourself in the hardest-hitting Katie Ledecky questions you will ever read.
Question and Answer with Katie Ledecky
I-80: Katie during practice or a competition, at any level, has a coach ever told you to “get the lead out?”
Katie Ledecky: Because of my name? No. I’ve never heard that line. Lots of “deck” quips though.
I-80: You’re working with chocolate milk. Talk about that.
Katie Ledecky: I’ve been drinking chocolate milk since I was a young teen, about 12 years old. It has protein, carbs, and natural electrolytes that help me recover between workouts and races to get me ready for the next one. I really believe that it has helped me a lot throughout my career.
I-80: What’s the most chocolate milk you’ve ever drank in one sitting?
Katie Ledecky: Oh, I don’t know, I’ve never really counted it like that. I usually just have a glass or a bottle.
I-80: I have definitely drank an entire gallon before. But please don’t tell anyone – it is my secret shame.
Katie Ledecky: I don’t think I could do that and I definitely won’t tell anyone.
How much chocolate milk are you on right now and will it trigger a false positive dope test?
Katie Ledecky: No! Uh, that’s the beauty of chocolate milk. It’s real, it’s natural, it’s safe.
Have you ever considered shaving your head/eyebrows for more speed?
KL: No. I don’t go that extreme. I shave my legs before a big race, but that’s as far as I’ll go.
During an individual race, and being underwater, how aware are you of what position you are in and how the swimmers you are competing against are doing?
KL: I’m pretty aware. Freestyle lends itself to that because your’e breathing to the side so you can see where your competitors are. I’m also aware of how well I’m doing, my pace, I’m usually pretty aware of how well I’m doing.
You’re a 15-time world champ. Who is your nemesis or arch-rival?
KL: I don’t really have one. The world is getting faster. It doesn’t get any easier as you get faster. You’re always trying to go faster, but I know a lot of people are trying to beat me. And it is a lot of fun to know that. I train in the water about 10x a week for 2 hours, and 3x a week doing dry land training. We only take about a week off at the end of the season.
You won your first gold medal at the age of 15. Which means, you had to do a lot of training in your younger life. Can you remember a time you felt like, “Whoa I don’t want to do this/this is too much. I want to screw around on my tablet like all the other kids”?
KL: I’ve never had a major moment like that. I’ve been swimming since I was six years old and I’ve loved every minute of it. I started swimming for fun and that’s why I still do it. Not for the gold medals or championships.
You’ve won has won 34 medals (28 golds, 5 silvers, and 1 bronze) in major international competitions, and a national championship ring from Stanford. What do you do with all that hardware?
KL: Oh, I have it around. I take it out from time to time to share with people. One thing I’ve really enjoyed is sharing them with people – school, hospitals – it’s cool to see the look on someone’s face when they see a gold medal.
Check out builtwithchocolatemilk.com for more info.
