Katie Ledecky leaves some of the most experienced people in swimming grasping for the secret to her dominance.

Genetics? An iron will? Nature versus nurture? God?

What makes Katie Ledecky so good?

latimes.com/sports/olympic…
. @katieledecky holds the world records in the 400-, 800-, and 1,500-meter freestyles... and she's got the next fastest times for each race too.

latimes.com/sports/olympic…
Katie Ledecky's dominance comes, in part, from her unusual intuition about what will happen in the water.

Her analytical training style and "obsessive attention to detail" help her understand races remarkably well and even predict other swimmers' times correctly.
Katie Ledecky is adaptive, always incorporating new techniques into her swimming.
When she was training for the 2012 London #Olympics, she adopted the "gallop," a common stroke technique for men and an extremely rare one for women.

latimes.com/sports/olympic…
Experts say the way Katie Ledecky’s palm wraps about the water and pulls it back is extraordinary. They believe she hangs onto more water than other swimmers.

“She feels water better than anyone else has ever felt water." latimes.com/sports/olympic…
Those who know her point to Katie Ledecky's focus and intensity, even in practice, as a key to her success in the #Olympics

"I think she loves the training more than she loves competing,” her brother said.
latimes.com/sports/olympic…
L.A. Times subscribers get early access to this #TokyoOlympics preview by @nathanfenno.

latimes.com/sports/olympic…

Support our journalism: latimes.com/subscribe

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15 Jul
Howard-bound @nhannahjones plans to “even the playing field” for HBCUs.

Here’s how -->
latimes.com/entertainment-…
She shared details with The Times’ @ruthesamuel about her new vision for Black journalists.

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latimes.com/politics/story…
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latimes.com/politics/story…
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Do we really need to get our furry friends groomed? How can we do it safely? ⬇️
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There is growing scrutiny over a 17-million-gallon sewage spill into the Santa Monica Bay, with many asking how the spill occurred and why it took so long to alert the public.

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Authorities are still investigating how the spill happened.

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latimes.com/california/sto…
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latimes.com/california/sto…
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Less than a month after pools were cleared to open, the chlorine shortage has caused many public pools and swim lessons across the country to close.
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