Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Little Girl's Enthusiastic Reaction To Katie Ledecky Waving At Her Is Everything

Katie Ledecky; X screenshot of young fan
Deepbluemedia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images; NBC

After Ledecky made history by winning her 1500-meter freestyle final, a little girl in the stands adorably freaked out upon being waved at by the Olympic champ.

Between Snoop Dogg carrying the torch, USA women bringing home the country's first medal in rugby, Clark Kent Stephen Nedoroscik coming in clutch, FAAFO the Golden Girls winning it all, and Lee Kiefer becoming the first American fencer to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, the 2024 summer Olympic games in Paris have already hit us in all the feels.

Or so we thought.


During Wednesday's coverage of swimmer Katie Ledecky making history once again, NBC captured the reaction of a young fan just after the now 12-time Olympic medalist waved to her.

And it is everything.

Ledecky had just exited the water following an epic 1500-meter freestyle final in which she broke her own Olympic record.

An enthusiastic fan in the crowd was spotted yelling and waving at Ledecky after the win and caught the attention of the eight-time gold medalist, who returned the wave.

The fan's reaction said it all.

The young girl absolutely could not believe it, telling the person next to her:

"She waved at me!"

The fan, identified as Madden, was in complete disbelief and then, holding a corner of the American flag, pretended to faint.

You can watch below.

Natalie Coughlin, who is tied with Ledecky for most total Olympic medals by a Team USA swimmer, commented on the video, which was also posted to Instagram:

"I couldn’t love this any more. So cute!!! 💕"

@onherturf/Instagram

Leslie Jones also shared the viral clip on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

"Just in case you wondering if you are influencing little girls around the world!!"
"You are boo!!"

And others on social media agreed that this moment unlocked an entirely new level of emotion and inspiration.












Ledecky still has a chance to break the record for most Olympic medals when she competes in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 800-meter freestyle.

And it looks like her number one fan, who is also a swimmer, will be there to cheer her on!

More from News

Teacher leading math class
Compassionate Eye Foundation/Steven Errico/Getty Images

Teacher Stunned After Student Argues That People Shouldn't Have To 'Think Anymore' Thanks To ChatGPT

There's no doubt that ChatGPT and similar tools are growing in relevance and application, and they're growing fast. The problem is that many people, especially younger individuals, seem to struggle with how much they should depend on the tools.

We already knew that ChatGPT could be a problem regarding critical thinking and creativity, so maybe we should have anticipated the mindsets that would develop, snubbing independent thinking when tools like ChatGPT are available.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rapunzel and crows at Tokyo DisneySea
@PopBase/X

Video Of Crows Ripping Out Animatronic Rapunzel's Hair At Tokyo DisneySea Goes Viral—And Yikes!

Disney princesses are usually known for their whimsical singing and befriending creatures from all across the animal kingdom, but Princess Rapunzel at Tokyo DisneySea may have misunderstood the assignment.

Earlier this week, Rapunzel was caught on video at DisneySea in Tokyo, but she didn't go viral for her cheery demeanor or her singing voice, which passers-by can hear from the base of her elegant tower. Rather, it was a pair of intruders who put her in the spotlight.

Keep ReadingShow less
Man getting a haircut
YakobchukOlena/Getty Images

Bald Men Are Up In Arms Over Viral Chart That Predicts Political Affiliation Based On A Man's Haircut

Can a man's haircut tell you his political affiliation? Scientifically, of course not... but we probably all have a gut feeling about it, regardless!

And a TikToker has followed that lead by developing a chart that predicts a man's political persuasion based on his hair alone—and bald men are NOT happy about it.

Keep ReadingShow less
transgender pride flag in front of Supreme Court
Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Republicans Slammed For Soulless One-Word Response To Democrats' Trans Day Of Visibility Tweet

According to research by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, transgender people in the United States were over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime based on statistics from 2017-2018. A study by the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety found the number of trans people murdered in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2017and 2021.

In the last 5–9 years, those figures have only increased as the Republican Party has made trans people the target of many of their political campaigns and legislative actions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth; Screenshot of Kid Rock during Army helicopter fly-by
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; @KidRock/X

Pete Hegseth Slammed After Calling Off Investigation Into Army Helicopter Fly-By At Kid Rock's House

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized for calling off the U.S. Army's investigation after MAGA musician Kid Rock posted a video of an Army Apache helicopter doing a fly-by at his Nashville home.

The video shows Kid Rock saluting as the aircraft hovers near his property, standing next to a replica Statue of Liberty by his pool. In the brief clip, a helicopter that appears to be an AH-64 Apache—an attack helicopter used by the U.S. Army and National Guard—flies at low altitude near his estate in Whites Creek.

Keep ReadingShow less