Sports Media Report
As the most decorated female swimmer of all time, Katie Ledecky is as real as they come. With three world records, 15 world championship gold medals, and five Olympic medals — all by the age of 22 – Ledecky is the definition of greatness. Her commitment to a rigorous workout, nutrition and recovery routine has proven vital to breaking records – her own as well as her competitors. With major competitions and Tokyo less than one year out, Ledecky shares why it’s no surprise that chocolate milk has been poolside throughout her already legendary career.
Ledecky learned early on that lowfat chocolate milk has the right mix of protein and carbohydrates her body needs to refuel after a tough training session or meet. Her trusted routine of hard work, dedication, and daily chocolate milk have helped her through all the goal-setting, early mornings, doubles, and many, many victories. Backed by more than 20 studies, real lowfat chocolate milk has the high-quality protein to build lean muscle and nutrients to help replenish muscles.
BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK: Making it Official
While chocolate milk has been her not-so-secret weapon since the beginning, Katie Ledecky is making the relationship official. A new BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign will showcase Ledecky and her approach to training, performance and recovery as she gears up for the world stage in 2020.
“I’m always trying to be faster – even if it’s just by a tenth of a second. I want to see how far I can push myself,” said Ledecky. “I’ve been drinking chocolate milk for recovery since I was 13, bringing one in a lunch bag with an ice pack to practice. I still drink it on the way home every day. As I have grown and developed as an athlete, I have learned that a lot of things I do outside the pool – like choosing chocolate milk – impact my ability to be my best.”
Rounding out the Championship Team
Ledecky joins a lineup of elite and everyday swimmers for whom chocolate milk has been a recovery staple, underscored by its status as the Official Recovery Beverage of USA Swimming. She also joins a diverse roster of professional athletes who choose chocolate milk as their post-workout drink of choice, including professional basketball All-Star Al Horford, tennis star Sloane Stephens, three-time Triathlon World Champion Mirinda Carfrae and professional racing cyclist Alison Tetrick.
“We’ve had our eye on Katie Ledecky for years, rooting for her from the sidelines. Her longtime love of chocolate milk makes her a natural addition to the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign,” said Miranda Abney, Senior Marketing Director at the Milk Processor Education Program (MILKPEP). “She understands what she does outside the water makes an impact on her overall performance, so she has always prioritized nutrition and recovery, meaning she’s had her eyes on us, too! We are honored to formally welcome Katie to the team, and will continue to be by her side for the next chapter of her journey.”
Chocolate Milk: Built With Science
With natural, high-quality protein to build lean muscle, fluids and electrolytes to replace what’s lost in sweat, calcium for strong bones, and the right carbohydrate to protein ratio to refuel exhausted muscles – lowfat chocolate milk is the real deal for real recovery. More than 20 scientific studies, conducted with athletes from sports spanning running, cycling, swimming, rock climbing and soccer, support the benefits of recovering after strenuous exercise with the high-quality protein and other nutrients in lowfat chocolate milk. In fact, drinking chocolate milk after a tough workout could give athletes a performance edge, according to a growing body of research. Indiana University researchers found that when collegiate, trained swimmers recovered with reduced fat chocolate milk after an exhaustive swim, they swam faster in time trials later that same day. On average, they shaved off 2.1 seconds per 200 yard swim, and 0.5 seconds per 75 yard sprint, compared to when they recovered with a traditional carbohydrate sports drink or calorie-free beverage. Other research suggests that including chocolate milk’s high-quality protein as part of a regular workout and recovery routine could support real results through helping athletes gain more lean muscle and lose fat, when compared to athletes who recovered with a typical sports drink.i, ii, iii And, not only does chocolate milk have what your body needs to recover post-workout, it’s a delicious, satisfying drink.
