Katie Ledecky: "First and foremost on this list is my mom"
Excerpt from Katie Ledecky's memoir: Just Add Water (2024)
[Scroll down for the English]
KISWAHILI
"Wakati mwingine nadhani kuwa mwanariadha mwanamke aliyefanikiwa ni kama kuogelea huko kidimbwi ilhali kusawazisha glasi ya maziwa ya chokoleti juu ya kichwa chako: kitu ambacho watu wengi hawawezi kuamini kuwa kinawezekana, kitu ambacho ni ngumu kufanya, kitu ambacho sisi wanawake hufanya kuonekana rahisi wakati huo huo tukielewa kwamba tukifanya kosa dogo tu ingeleta mafanikio yote yao hadi chini sakafuni.
“Nimekuwa na bahati nzuri ya kuwa na wanawake wa ajabu kama mifano ya kuigwa, ambao walikuwa tayari kuniongoza kupitia miaka yangu mingi kama mshindani wa kike. Kwanza kabisa katika orodha hii ni mama wangu, ambaye aliweka kiwango cha juu kabisa kuhusu bidii nyingi na mafanikio na pia jinsi ya kuonyesha neema na uchezaji mzuri."
- Katie Ledecky, muogeleaji wa Marekani ambaye ameshinda medali 14 za Olimpiki na medali 26 za Ubingwa wa Dunia; alianza kuogelea akiwa na umri wa miaka 6 pamoja na kaka yake mkubwa.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
“Sometimes I think being a successful woman athlete is a lot like swimming across the pool balancing a glass of chocolate milk on your head: something many people can’t believe is possible, something challenging to pull off, something we women make look easy even as we understand that one tiny slipup could bring the whole thing tumbling down.
“I’ve been fortunate to have had amazing women as role models, who were willing to steer me through my many years as a female competitor. First and foremost on this list is my mom, who set the bar high for hard work and achievement as well as how to exhibit grace and good sportsmanship.”
- Katie Ledecky, American swimmer who has won 14 Olympic medals and 26 World Championship medals; she started swimming at the age of 6 alongside her older brother.
Asante na tutaonana tena (Thank you and may we see each other again),
Mmerikani
Chanzo (source): Katie Ledecky. Just Add Water: My Swimming Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2024, page 222-223. Kindle Edition. Ledecky’s website is here.