Katie Ledecky landed at Dulles airport in Virginia, walking straight into the excited screams and arms of her friends waiting there to greet her. They all rushed to hug her at once as she emerged ...

Ledecky, 27, bested Ariarne Titmus of Australia, who shared a hug with Ledecky in the pool after she won silver, and Paige Madden of Team USA, who took home a bronze medal.

Ledecky let out an uncharacteristic scream toward the American cheering section in the mostly empty arena. She bounded over the lane rope to hug the silver medalist.

What you get is a group hug. “She was freaking out,” Ledecky said. ... When Ledecky won gold in the 800 freestyle in London, Titmus was 11, McIntosh 5. They were dreamers then.

Ledecky gave Titmus a quick hug once both were out of the pool, and was likely already looking ahead to their next meeting, less than 7 hours later, for the qualifying heats for the 200-m freestyle.

With her Tokyo Olympics drawn to a close, American swimmer Katie Ledecky can start to unwind. “I did have a hamburger after I was done – that tasted good,” she says about a celebratory meal ...

It’s an awkwardly long hug. As silly as it sounds, we made a timer that counts down from 11.38 to help you grasp how long it is. Press the button and imagine you’re Katie Ledecky.

What you get is a group hug. Advertisement ... Ledecky’s best events — she owns the 16 best times in the 800 free and the 19 best times in the 1,500 free — are still to come.

Katie Ledecky, who finally got to sit down and catch up with her uncle at the end of the night, said, “I hope he gets some rest.” Karen Crouse is a sports reporter who joined The Times in 2005.

Katie Ledecky collected the 13th medal of her stellar career to become the most decorated woman in swimming history on ... She made her way over several lane ropes to give a hug to Douglass, ...