I will never be an Olympic athlete-not even close. However, that does not mean that I cannot be inspired watching Katie Ledecky compete in Paris. This is her fourth Olympics and at last count she had won 9 gold medals, 12 total medals, beginning in London in 2012.

Watching her compete in the 1500-meter race a few days ago served as an exclamation point for me. She was so far ahead of the eventual second place finisher from France, that the commentator mentioned that the photographer had to “zoom out” to keep the other competitors in the picture.

Her dominance against the best in the world was reminiscent of Secretariat’s 31-length victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

She was not done.

After she won the 800-meter swim in similar dominant style a few days later, she capped her athletic achievement with a display of sportsmanship. At the medal ceremony, she motioned for her American teammate, Paige Madden, who won the bronze, to come up and join her on the top pedestal.

For those of us Vineyard weekend warriors, whether it be on the golf course, tennis court or in the YMCA pool, let us all channel our inner Katie Ledecky and strive to achieve our own our personal excellence with her dignity and style.

Kevin R. Loughlin

Edgartown