'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
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Katie Ledecky got good luck wishes from Missy Franklin and a high-five from Michael Phelps on her way to the pool deck for her first Olympic swimming final at 15.
Nine years ago, an eager Katie Ledecky waited patiently outside the pool at the University of Maryland in hopes of meeting then-18-year-old Michael Phelps, a soon to be two-time Olympian and now the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time.
Katie Ledecky was just 11 years old the last time the nation's best swimmers packed Omaha's CenturyLink Center, vying for one of 26 spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic swimming team.
The Washington area will be well-represented in the women's 800-meter freestyle at the London Olympics, as Katie Ledecky and Kate Ziegler qualified for the Games on Sunday night in Omaha, Neb., with the second- and third-fastest times in the world this year.
Janet Evans finished 53rd out of 65 swimmers in the 800-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. trials on Saturday, ending the former Olympic champion's comeback at age 40 with a smile on her face.
On Day 3 of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Michael Phelps finally took back the spotlight.
As 15-year-old Bethesda native Katie Ledecky stepped up to the block for the final heat of the women's 400-meter freestyle at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials on Tuesday night, she could look to her right and see an Olympic bronze medalist; her left and see a FINA world champion.
Bethesda's Katie Ledecky — Kathleen in the official Federation Internationale de Natation rankings — is ahead of her time.
Mary Gen Ledecky said her daughter, who arrived in Europe more than two weeks ago in order to adjust to the time change, has fit right in with the rest of Team USA.
Olympics 2012: Katie Ledecky poised to debut with a splash →
