Lydia Jacoby, then 17 years old, became the youngest Alaskan to ever win a gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke.
100M Breaststroke Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
In a stunning upset, Lilly King’s colleague, the defending champion, and the current world record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke, Lydia Jacoby, brought home the gold.
This was the first swimming gold medal ever won by an Alaskan, and it went to 17-year-old Alaska native and Olympic hopeful Jacoby. There has never been a member of the U.S. Olympic swim team from the state before, but Jacoby makes history.
“The race was on, and I intended to win a medal. There was no doubt in my mind that I could do it “stated Jacoby after she had won. As the scoreboard said “gold medal,” I couldn’t believe it.
Runner-up and South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker took home silver, with bronze going to eventual winner King.
For King, it was important that her teammate’s victory stayed within the United States. This was the best swim of her life, and I’m so happy to have been her partner as we took home bronze for our country.
The clip shows Jacoby’s classmates and friends in Seward, Alaska, jumping and screaming as she got closer and closer to victory. Once Jacoby finishes her senior year in high school, she plans to enrol at the University of Texas at Austin.
A Female Breaststroke Race Over 100 Metres:
Jacoby was the show-stopper. She swam impressively beyond her years, winning the only swimming gold for the United States that evening. King was the prerace favourite after winning the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but Jacoby proved she could compete by posting the second-best semifinal time (1:05:52).
Then, in the championship heat, Jacoby came in at 1 minute, 4.95 seconds, which was the fastest time of the day. Thanks For Read Our Article 100M Breaststroke Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
