It was an emotional rollercoaster as Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky took home the gold medal Wednesday — and one young fan felt all the feelings as she watched the event in Paris.
As the athlete exited the pool after winning the 1500-meter freestyle during the Paris Olympic Games on July 31, a little girl excitedly waved to the crowned gold medalist.
Cheering along with the rest of the crowd, the young spectator yelled and her eyes lit up as she told the person next to me, "She waved at me!"
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With cameras set on her, the young girl held onto the side of the American flag in her hands and then pretended to faint and sit down, mouth agape.
“Katie Ledecky just made this girl’s life,” the caption on On Her Turf’s video showing the moment read.
People in the Instagram comments section commented on the girl’s excitement, with USA Swimming’s official Instagram writing, “She is all of us.”
“Someone please find a way to get this girl to meet her hero,” someone else wrote, while another added, “That sweet little girl...repping all of us!”
The excited fan also got support from swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin, who also left a note: “I couldn’t love this any more. So cute!!!”
Ledecky set a new Olympic record with her 15:30.02 time. With her latest win, she is now tied for Team USA’s female swimming record for total Olympic medals and most gold medals. Ledecky has 12 medals, eight of which are gold.
The most decorated female swimmer in Olympics history will get a chance to earn more medals when she competes in two more events, the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 800-meter freestyle.
Following her Paris Olympics win, she sent a message to the female swimmers before her.
“Those women that have set the standard for so many years have inspired me,” Ledecky said after winning gold. “They inspired me when I first started swimming, so thank you to them. Thank you to everyone that has supported me all these years.
She previously told Stephanie Gosk in June that she hoped to inspire young girls.
“Set your bar high and don’t be afraid to set goals that seem unrealistic at first or seem impossible. Don’t be afraid to set those, and you just keep working away,” she said. “And you’ll see the results and you’ll see yourself getting closer to those goals.”
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