Special Reports
American Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Katie Ledecky Teaches Japanese Kids
By Mizuki Okada
Aiming to boost the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Katie Ledecky held a special swimming class for elementary, junior high, and high schools students in the Setagaya district of Tokyo on Tuesday, August 14.
Ledecky is the American Olympic swimmer who won four gold medals in freestyle swimming at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Around 100 students participated in the special class.
Ms. Ledecky instructed the students on techniques for stroking and breathing. After the class, she commented that they “have a lot of potential.”
She added, “Japan is a very good swimming country” and that she expected to see “some of them going to the Olympics, world championships and other international meets.”
She expressed enthusiasm for the Tokyo Games, saying, “[I] wish to bring back some gold medals for team USA, and I’m going to do everything that I can to be back here in Tokyo.”
Yagi Mitsuki, a 3rd grade student at Sumidagawa High School, expressed the feelings of many of the students when she said: “I was surprised at her (Katie's) swimming speed. I hope to reach for Katie, who has her goals for swimming and studies.”
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