Hot Shots: Katie Ledecky is the Moment

Art by Leah Bae

You hear it at every professional swim meet.

Over the sound of a starting gun and the splash of water is a whisper that brushes the announcers booth and resides over the crowd.

“Is this the next Michael Phelps?”

Personally, I’m over it.

Instead of focusing on what Michael Phelps has done, we need to instead look at Katie Ledecky, who doesn’t just stand up to the legacy of Phelps — she outshines him.

Ledecky and Phelps both compete at the top of their field. I’m not arguing Phelps isn’t one of the best at what he did; that’s not worth the argument (or the word count).

Here’s what is worth 800 words: We should stop looking for the “next Michael Phelps,” as some say, and start…