Stanford’s proposed cuts sadden Ledecky
If Stanford University were a nation, it would have finished eighth at the Rio Olympics. If Stanford were a nation, Katie Ledecky would be the state wielding the most power.
Ledecky, who has won six Olympic medals, five of them gold, including four golds and a silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, has spent the pandemic training on the Stanford campus. Ledecky has spent the year preparing for this summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, in which she will be one of the faces of Team USA.
Ledecky is aware that her university has abandoned its commitment to several Olympic sports. The selfproclaimed “Home of Champions” announced in July that it planned to eliminate 11 varsity sports.
“It’s tough times,” Ledecky said Wednesday in a video interview with a handful of reporters. “Not just for the athletes, but the coaches and all the families involved. It’s hard to see throughout the country, not just at Stanford, with sports being cut and Olympic sports, specifically.
“Those are sports that a lot of kids get into at a young age and work their way up to be able to get a college scholarship. For some people, college is the path to the Olympics. Training at those schools in their sport and having those resources and coaches really helps them get to the next level.”
Ledecky, who graduated from Stanford in December, said she wasn’t familiar with 36 Sports Strong, a group of many wellknown Stanford athletic alums formed to fight the decision. The membership includes former Olympic swimmers like Janet Evans and Summer Sanders, as well as athletes who were on the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams with Ledecky.
“Personally, I’ll do what I can to support Olympic sports and swimming,” Ledecky said. “I hope a lot of programs can still move forward.”