Frank Deford: Olympic Swimmer Ledecky Is This Century's Perfect 10

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky holds up her gold medal after winning the women's 800-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Games in London.

Lee Jin-man/AP

In the television era, the second week of the Olympics is reserved for what is considered the marquee event: track and field.

So, the shared premier showcases of the first week are swimming and women's gymnastics. While swimming was always a spotlight sport, I was, if you will, sort of present at the creation when gymnastics became the new star lead-off hitter.

Click the audio to hear Frank Deford's full commentary on this issue. All of his sports commentary is available here: Sweetness and Light.