--- title: Michael Phelps: Katie Ledecky Is Like Me ‘Back in the Day’ description: Michael Phelps praised fellow Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky and compared the 19-year-old competitor to a younger version of himself. canonical: https://time.com/4383084/katie-ledecky-michael-phelps/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-26T17:55:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T09:50:00.867Z article:section: Sports og:title: Michael Phelps Says Katie Ledecky Is Like Him ‘Way Back in the Day’ og:description: “Every time she gets in the water, it's like a world record." og:url: https://time.com/4383084/katie-ledecky-michael-phelps/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaef9c73a1b201dc6/698899730a4a2294a19ca3b4/katie-ledecky.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Katie Ledecky og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michael Phelps Says Katie Ledecky Is Like Him ‘Way Back in the Day’ twitter:description: “Every time she gets in the water, it's like a world record." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaef9c73a1b201dc6/698899730a4a2294a19ca3b4/katie-ledecky.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Michael Phelps Says Katie Ledecky Is Like Him ‘Way Back in the Day’ > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jun 26, 2016 5:55 PM UTC  Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky speaks during a news conference at U.S. Olympic team trials in Omaha, Neb. on June 24, 2016. Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky speaks during a news conference at U.S. Olympic team trials in Omaha, Neb. on June 24, 2016.Orlin Wagner—AP  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jun 26, 2016 5:55 PM UTC Michael Phelps [praised](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/06/26/katie-ledecky-dominant-force-swimming/86402124/) fellow Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky in a new interview published Sunday, comparing the [19-year-old competitor](http://time.com/4299717/katie-ledecky-2016-time-100/) to a younger version of himself. Phelps, who is 30 and a [22-time Olympic medalist](http://time.com/4309230/michael-phelps-2012-olympics/?iid=sr-link2), complimented Ledecky’s skill and focus and said the “strong swimmer” is ready to take on the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, _USA Today Sports_ reports. “You can tell she is very goal oriented, and for me it brings me back to kind of what I was like way, way, way back in the day,” Phelps told the outlet. “Every time she gets in the water, it’s like a world record. She is improving so much, and I think she is just trying to push that barrier, and I think it’s pretty exciting to watch her do that,” he added. “Her stroke is phenomenal, how she transitions, and now the walls are great, her kick is great. She does the work, and it shows.” Ledecky told _USA Today Sports_ that she has been training hard since her international debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics. “I feel like I had the great experience four years ago, and I’ve gained a lot of international experience since then, and I feel a lot more comfortable on deck and being in this kind of environment than I did four years ago, “ she said. \[[_USA Today Sports_](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/06/26/katie-ledecky-dominant-force-swimming/86402124/)_\]_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4383084/katie-ledecky-michael-phelps/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4383084/katie-ledecky-michael-phelps/"},"headline":"Michael Phelps Says Katie Ledecky Is Like Him ‘Way Back in the Day’","datePublished":"2016-06-26T17:55:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:50:00.867Z","description":"“Every time she gets in the water, it's like a world record.\"","url":"https://time.com/4383084/katie-ledecky-michael-phelps/","keywords":["swimming"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaef9c73a1b201dc6/698899730a4a2294a19ca3b4/katie-ledecky.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaef9c73a1b201dc6/698899730a4a2294a19ca3b4/katie-ledecky.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Katie Ledecky","caption":"Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky speaks during a news conference at U.S. Olympic team trials in Omaha, Neb., Friday, June 24, 2016. 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