Katie Ledecky Named 2022 AP Female Athlete of the Year; Also Won Award in 2017

Superstar swimmer Katie Ledecky was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the second time in her career Wednesday.

Ledecky won the award ahead of track star Sydney McLaughlin, who tied on total points with 22, but only had nine first-place votes to Ledecky's 10. WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson finished third in the voting with 18 points.

Per Paul Newberry of the AP, Ledecky expressed gratitude for the recognition, saying: "I know so many great athletes have won this honor. "I'm really happy—happy with how my year went, and also excited about the future."

Bolstered by a dominant performance at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, where she won four gold medals, Ledecky added the 2022 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year Award to the previous such award she won in 2017.

As has become commonplace for Ledecky over the past decade, she went home with a huge haul of gold medals from the 2022 worlds, taking the top spot in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle, as well as the 4x200-meter freestyle.

Those golds gave the American 19 career gold medals at the world championships in addition to three silvers.

The 25-year-old Ledecky is also a seven-time gold medalist and three-time silver medalist at the Summer Olympics, including two golds and two silvers at the 2020 Summer Games held in 2021.

Rounding out the top five in the voting behind Ledecky, McLaughlin and Wilson were South Carolina college basketball star Aliyah Boston and Polish tennis star Iga Świątek with 14 points each.

The Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award has been presented annually to one man and one woman since 1931.

Among those who have won the AP Female Athlete of the Year Award, Ledecky is now only the 19th different woman to win it multiple times.