Katie Ledecky is a rare breed among Olympic swimmers for more reasons than one.
The eight-time gold medalist told comedian Leslie Jones in an interview that she “definitely” doesn’t pee in the pool.
In the interview, shared recently by NBC Sports, Ledecky told Jones she loves swimming so much, she would do it even without the competitions. “I just love it when I can spend most of my day at the pool,” she said.
That prompted Jones to ask, “You know, I got to ask this because I’m looking at this pool and I see how long the lanes are … how do you not pee in the pool?”
“Well, I definitely don’t,” Ledecky replied, laughing.
“So no one pees in the pool?” Jones asked.
“I can’t speak for other people,” Ledecky answered, sending Jones into a fit of laughter. “I definitely cannot speak for other people.”
Just last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article headlined: “The Dirty Secret of Olympic Swimming: Everyone Pees in the Pool.”
“I’ve probably peed in every single pool I’ve swam in,” said Lilly King, who has competed in three Olympics for Team USA, according to WSJ. “That’s just how it goes.”
Several other Olympians backed her up.
King also revealed she can “actually pee as I’m swimming, which is kind of a gift.”
Olympic swim legend Michael Phelps has said much the same.
“I think everybody pees in the pool,” Phelps said in a 2012 interview, also with the Wall Street Journal. “It’s kind of a normal thing to do for swimmers. When we’re in the pool for two hours, we don’t really get out to pee. We just go whenever we are on the wall.”
So there you go. Now you know.
Ledecky has already scored two medals this Olympics, a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle and gold in the 1500-meter freestyle, her signature event.
She’ll compete Thursday in the 4×200 freestyle relay and on Saturday in the 800-meter freestyle, where she’s a favorite to win.
If she does, she’ll have won the most gold medals of any woman in Olympic swimming history.
