Just a couple of legends hanging out together.
Springsteen played Nationals Park on Thursday night, which, presumably, is where the pair met. And Ledecky brought along a couple of her gold medals to show “The Boss.”
Ledecky is, of course, a noted fan of Springsteen, and apparently, the 66-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is a fan of the Olympic swimmer. At some point following the Rio Games, Springsteen started following Ledecky on Twitter, making her one of (now) 38 accounts he follows. (Ledecky is one of Bruce’s 886,000-plus followers.)
Ledecky lists Springsteen among her favorite musicians on her USA Swimming national team bio page and mentioned in an NBC interview last month that she and her dad, David, listen to a playlist that includes “a mix of some Springsteen songs, some songs I like” to and from practices. Her dad is a big Springsteen fan, according to Ledecky, and he was there with the five-time gold medalist, along with brother, Michael, mom, Mary Gen, and uncle Jon (owner of the New York Islanders).
Ledecky won five medals at the Rio Olympics in August — four gold, one silver — while breaking world records in the women’s 400-meter freestyle and 800-meter freestyle events. The 19-year-old deferred her college enrollment to train for the Games, but is set to join the Stanford swim team in the fall. Until then?
“Just enjoying a little bit of time off and I’m also busy getting ready for college and figuring out what I need to bring, what I need to pack, and all those good things,” Ledecky said.