NEW YORK – Coming off two World Records in the 25m pool, Katie Ledecky also once again excelled in the long course season in winning gold in all four of her events at the 19th FINA World Championships Budapest 2022. She also became the first swimmer to ever five-peat as a world champion when she won the 800m freestyle. Her winning time of 8:08.04 was more than 10 seconds ahead of the field.

“Thank you to USA Swimming, USA Swimming Foundation and all of our coaches and staff in Budapest,” Ledecky said. “Thank you to my family – my parents, my brother – for keeping me motivated, keeping me grounded. Thank you to TYR, I always feel confident diving in the water. Thank you to everyone at Florida, you’ve made it home for me. I love being a Gator.”

Image Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Bobby Finke set two American records while winning gold and silver in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, respectively, at this year’s FINA World Championships. His 800m win marks the first gold for an American man in this event.

“Thank you to USA Swimming, USA Swimming Foundation and my sponsor, TYR,” Finke said. “Thank you to the USA Swimming staff who were with us in Croatia and Budapest. Being part of USA Swimming is a dream come true. Being on the same team as guys like Nic Fink, Ryan Murphy and Carson Foster – it means a lot.”

If you’re looking for a complete list of Golden Goggle Awards winners, head over here.

All of them | Award Winners of the 2022 Golden Goggles


• Female Athlete of the Year: Katie Ledecky
• Male Athlete of the Year: Bobby Finke
• Female Race of the Year: Katie Ledecky, 800 Free
• Male Race of the Year: Bobby Finke 800 Free
• Relay Performance of the Year:  Women’s 4x200 Free Relay
• Breakout Performer of the Year: Leah Hayes
• Perseverance Award: Leah Smith
• Coach of the Year: Anthony Nesty
• Impact Awards: Carol Zaleski, Bill Maxson

Why the Golden Goggle Awards Matter

Image Source: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Since 2004, proceeds from the Golden Goggle Awards have benefited the USA Swimming Foundation, whose mission is to Save Lives, Build Champions, and Impact Communities. In addition to providing nationwide learn-to-swim grants, the USA Swimming Foundation supports the U.S. National Team and its development efforts to strengthen the future of USA Swimming’s programs and services.

The USA Swimming Foundation awarded more than $940,000 in learn-to-swim grants during this year’s grant cycle – the most awarded in the organization’s history. These grants were distributed across 142 recipients, supporting both youth and adult lesson providers nationwide. These grants will provide 17,500 individuals with the opportunity to learn this lifesaving skill.

Supporting learn-to-swim efforts is just part of the USA Swimming Foundation’s mission to grow the number of swimmers in the U.S. The USA Swimming Foundation also provided $1.13 million in support to the USA Swimming National Team and $268,000 in support to USA Swimming member clubs through programs such as the Donor-Athlete Partnership Program and Community Impact grants - a program developed during the pandemic in 2020 with the goal to increase competitive opportunities in historically impoverished or racially diverse communities. To learn more about these programmes, here’s the USA Swimming foundation site.