After leading Stanford to back-to-back NCAA championships, powerhouse swimmer Katie Ledecky recently turned professional following her sophomore season with the Cardinal – a decision she said was more about timing than anything, including endorsement opportunities.

Her eyes are on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I work hard and I train very hard, so that’s something I wanted to protect,” Ledecky told For The Win by phone Wednesday. “I want to be able to represent the United States in a couple years, and to be able to do that to the very best of my ability, I felt like doing this now was the best time.”

She made her professional debut in the most quintessential way, shattering her own world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle.

The two-time Olympian has two priorities as a pro: qualifying for her third Games and finishing her psychology degree.

Both of her Olympic appearances were prior to her time at Stanford. At 15 years old, she won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle in London. Four years later in Rio, she defended that title and won the 200- and 400-meter freestyles too. She was also on the winning 4×200-meter freestyle relay team, as well as the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team, which won silver.

Ledecky will continue training at Stanford and taking classes. She said she’ll be more than halfway finished with her degree by the end of the summer, but to be at her best by 2020, she wanted the flexibility to cut back on academics leading up to the Olympics.

“Getting my degree is a huge priority of mine, and it’s something that I enjoy,” she said. “So I’m very lucky to be in this environment and have this opportunity.”

In terms of endorsements, she could end up being the most sought after athlete leading up to the Tokyo Games but maintained that was not a major factor in her decision to go pro. Of course, they’re still a big bonus, although she did not share any specifics.

She is also able to further promote swimming in general. Wednesday, she worked with USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 – along with fellow Olympians Cullen Jones, Ryan Murphy and Rowdy Gaines – to encourage parents to enroll their kids in swim lessons to reduce the risk of child drowning.

“I’m excited to have some partnerships down the line with some companies,” Ledecky said. “And also (to) have some opportunities to help grow the sport, do some things along these lines with the USA Swimming Foundation and hopefully some other organizations down the line.”

Overall, she’s now focused on using this time to “transition to the pro lifestyle,” as opposed to staying a college athlete for two more years and having only a few months between the end of the season and the Olympics.

She’s in a unique position as professional athlete who still trains with her college teammates and coach, Greg Meehan, takes classes and has the potential to earn money off her success in the water.

Ledecky “couldn’t be happier” with her two seasons as an NCAA athlete, but she’s ready for what’s next.

“Do what you feel is best for yourself,” she said when asked if she has advice for other amateur athletes considering going pro.

“It’s an exciting time for me. I get to do a number of things that I really love, and I get to do it at the highest level. I’ve always tried to be thoughtful about decisions I’ve made, and this was no different.”