Drabot benefits from training with Ledecky
Most swimmers don’t get to measure themselves against the best in the world until they make it to the World Championships or the Olympic Games. Katie Drabot gets to do it nearly every day at the Avery Aquatic Center at Stanford University.
Drabot trains alongside Katie Ledecky, the five-time Olympic champion and 14-time world champion. It’s like a basketball player going one-on-one with LeBron James at practice or a tennis player volleying with Serena Williams.
Has Katie rubbed off on Katie? “I hope so,” Drabot said with a laugh. “I think I’ve learned how to adapt to her work ethic. She’s very driven in and out of the pool and is very good with time management. Outside of the pool it seems she doesn’t think too much about swimming, at least that I’ve noticed. She’s low stress and very confident in herself in the pool.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot, especially training right next to her.”
While Ledecky was winning three more races last week at the U.S. National Championships to push her total to 17 national titles – more than any other active swimmer – Drabot was making her own waves.
The former Cedarburg High School star finished second in the 200-meter butterfly with a career-best time of 2 minutes, 7.18 seconds and qualified for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, Aug. 9-14, in Tokyo. Her time currently ranks fifth in the world.
Known primarily as a freestyler – she finished 10th in the 400 free and 11th in the 200 free at nationals – Drabot’s performance in the 200 fly wasn’t a huge surprise.
“I’ve transitioned a little more to butterfly,” she said. “I’m kind of open to wherever my training takes me. I definitely wanted to expand past freestyle. I’ve always enjoyed training fly – when I feel good, obviously. There comes a point where too much fly training isn’t good.”
It’s all prep work for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, just two years away. Drabot first qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials at age 14 in 2012, and four years later she made it to the semifinals in the 200 free.
“I’m definitely progressing well,” she said. “I guess only time will tell where I’ll be in two years. I think with how my training is we like to keep things very open and I do a lot of different training styles. I’ll mix freestyle, fly and (individual medley) work so ideally I’ll swim multiple events.”
It doesn’t hurt to compete for Stanford, a collegiate swimming dynasty that has produced Janet Evans, Summer Sanders, Misty Hyman and dozens of other All-Americans.
Drabot, a rising junior and a human biology major, won NCAA titles earlier this year in the 400 and 800 freestyle relays (Ledecky anchored the 800) and the Cardinal won its 10th NCAA team title.
Stanford also won the 2017 national championship, when Drabot was a freshman.
“Definitely a little intimidation and a little bit of awe,” she said of her adjustment to an elite college swimming program. “I had to remind myself I belonged. It took a little while to adjust but then it felt like I fit right in the team. You have to keep reminding yourself that’s the place you wanted to be.
“I’m swimming with the best of the best.”
Ledecky, 21, already has won more world championship gold medals than any female in history, has broken 14 world records and is a three-time U.S. Olympic Committee female athlete of the year.
And Drabot gets to try to match her stroke for stroke in training.
“If you didn’t know the success that she’s had, I don’t think you’d see that in the way she presents herself,” Drabot said. “She’s very humble. It definitely helps with the team culture; she’s just kind of one of us.
“Her swimming speaks for her. She’s always on to the next goal and doesn’t really ever bring it up. She’s very low key about things. I’ve never seen her (Olympic) medals.”
Perhaps someday soon, Drabot will have a few of her own.