Katie Ledecky is on her way to Michael Phelps-type dominance
Over the entire century, Michael Phelps has reigned supreme over the sport of swimming. But as the 31-year-old competes in his fifth Summer Games, it appears his run of dominance could be nearing its end.
Like the 2004 Olympics in Athens, this year's Rio Games seem poised to serve as the coming-out party for one 19-year-old American swimmer: Katie Ledecky.
SEE MORE: Everything you need to know about the Summer Olympics
Ledecky won't have the chance to match the six gold medals Phelps took home a dozen years ago, with only five events on her Rio slate. But with one first-place finish already to her 2016 ledger -- a shattering of her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle -- there's little doubt that Ledecky is the future of the sport, and could eventually dominate it even more than Phelps ever has.
Both Phelps and Ledecky competed on an Olympic stage at the age of 15 -- Phelps at Sydney and Ledecky at the last Summer Games in London -- but only Ledecky earned a medal in her first go-round, a gold in the 800-meter freestyle.
What's certain is that no sport has seen a 19-year-old burst onto the scene the way Ledecky has since, well, Phelps did in Athens.
Several U.S. gymnastics stars have grabbed hold of the spotlight, but with such a short window of athletic prime to compete in, extended relevance is hard to come by. With basketball teams allowing pro players to compete, Olympic dominance on the court just isn't of the same variety. Swimming, without a major pro league to familiarize the nation to its athletes, and with a relatively long window of competition for its elite, is able to offer its brightest stars a unique kind of superstardom. Phelps has experienced it, and now it's Ledecky's turn.
There's no way to know for sure where Ledecky goes from here -- but it's not hard to imagine her surging to the household-name-range of athletes by the end of these Rio Games. And regardless of how she finishes off her three remaining events, the stage will be set in Tokyo for the 2020 Games, as Ledecky will almost certainly be vying for a 2008 Phelps-esque to officially claim the sport as hers to reign.
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