Ledecky is headed to college at Stanford early next month but says right now she is staying out of the pool, enjoying time with friends and family and settling in to her new role as one of America’s Olympic darlings.
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And those things weigh a ton – definitely not something she’d want hanging from her neck while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for the Washington Nationals’ game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. For those five medals, she won $115,000 in bonus money, and that alone would make her much richer than most people her age (though she has already racked up quite a bit more prize money than that).
It only takes one look at Missy Franklin (the U.S. swimmer who won four gold medals in the 2012 London Olympic Games but turned down a professional career to swim for Berkeley University) to see that choosing academia when you’re at peak fitness and popularity following the Olympics is a decision not to be taken lightly.
Which she did. Like a boss. Of course she brought her medals with her. So, it was only fitting, that the 2015 NL Player of the year escorted the 5 time Olympic Gold Medalist to the pitcher’s mound ahead of the ceremonial first pitch. “They are pretty heavy so …”
Ledecky got a warm reception on the field 20 minutes before the start of the game but a rousing standing ovation when she was shown on the video board before the fifth inning.
It may be something of a farewell too, as Ledecky will soon begin her freshman year at Stanford.
“It’ll probably be the longest break I’ll take in the next four years”, she said.
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“I expect it’ll sink in as we move forward the next couple weeks”, Ledecky said. “These last four years would have been a little different if I’d been a professional, for sure”.
