PARIS — No matter how many times she drains all the drama from the swimming pool, gold never grows old for Katie Ledecky.

“Any gold medal is not easy to win,” she said Wednesday, after winning the eighth of an Olympic career that’s now the stuff of bona fide legend.

Ledecky did Ledecky things in the 1,500 meter freestyle, blowing away the Olympic record by five seconds and beating second-place finisher Anastasiia Kirpichnikova of France by 10 full seconds.

Ledecky is a beauty of a beast.

She leaves world-class athletes so far in her wake they can barely keep her within eyesight in the pool. And keep up with one of the greatest Olympians to ever live?

Forget about it.

After Ledecky finished a 30-lap race she led from start to finish in a time of 15 minutes and 30.02 seconds, I asked her backstage in La Defense Arena if the satisfaction of her eighth Olympic gold medal is any different than the first gold she won way back in 2016, when she was a teen sensation at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“Yeah, I’d say they are a little different,” replied Ledecky, laughing at how the fishbowl she lives in has changed.

Ledecky took a moment to contemplate the memory of the wide-eyed but determined teenager she was 12 years years ago compared to the highly paid professional with tons of responsibilities she has become now.

“The first (gold) was totally unexpected by the outside world, although I had it as something I could visualize. But I knew I had no expectations to (win),” she said.

Every gold medal makes life a little more complicated.

A GOAT is granted no margin for error. Failure is not an option.

Is that unreasonable? You bet. But, fair or not, it’s the nature of her life.

“Coming into tonight, I expected (gold) of myself. I know a lot of other people expected it of me. And that doesn’t make it easy,” Ledecky said.

“It’s not always easy to follow through and get the job done. There are moments of doubt. Hard days in training, where you doubt yourself and you just have to push through, trust in your training and trust everything will come together in the end. I’m happy that it did.”

What Ledecky has taught herself is a fierce Jedi mind trick, because she must battle both the unforgiving repetition of swimming 40 miles every week during training, then showing up at every world-class meet with the pressure on somebody that everybody assumes can’t be beat.

How often in Olympic history has victory been a foregone conclusion?

But in the 1,500 free, the 20 best times ever recorded all belong to Ledecky.

That’s freakin’ nuts. And she’s not done yet.

For her next feat, Ledecky will take a jackhammer to the Mount Rushmore of Olympic legends. She’s more than a generational talent. Ledecky is to the long swim what Babe Ruth was to the long ball.

In Olympic history, American swimmer Michael Phelps is the once and forever king. He owns a preposterous 23 gold medals.

Heck, the sun might burn out before any mere mortal can even dream of matching Phelps’ record.

But with two more chances to finish atop the podium at this little swim meet in France, including a deadlock cinch for victory in the 800 free, Ledecky seems destined to forge a tie for second on the all-time list of Olympic gold medalists.

And we’re not limiting this glorious list to swimmers. We’re talking about all athletes, in every sport, in Olympic history.

“I try not to dwell on history,” Ledecky said, “or the magnitude of things.”

But that doesn’t stop us from contemplating her climb to the top of Mt. Olympus. After earning her ninth gold, Ledecky will shine as brightly as Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, Finnish running god Paavo Nurmi, Speedo king Mark Spitz and some sprinter you may have heard of named Carl Lewis.

Ledecky is 27 years old. She takes nothing for granted, especially in a sport where endless hours in the pool can cause joints in the shoulder or hips to rust.

But the next Summer Games are scheduled for 2028. In Los Angeles. On American turf. In Ledecky’s pool. Where the whole country could stand up and cheer as she kicks relentlessly to the wall.

“I would love to compete in L.A.,” Ledecky said.

She has not only swam and won all around the world, but trained so religiously that Ledecky has spent enough time in the water to circumnavigate the globe.

Tired of the grind? Bored with winning?

No way.

“I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in this sport,” Ledecky said.

Catch her if you can.