If Katie Ledecky wasn’t setting world records and piling up Olympic medals, Leah Smith would be the top middle-to-long distance swimmer in the U.S. She’s been doggedly pursuing Ledecky’s relentlessly high standards for the last five years.

If Katie Ledecky wasn’t setting world records and piling up Olympic medals, Leah Smith would be the top middle-to-long distance swimmer in the U.S. She’s been doggedly pursuing Ledecky’s relentlessly high standards for the last five years.