Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Jacoby's Gold Makes History, Three Americans Earn Bronze at Third Finals Session of Tokyo Olympics
The pride of Seward, Alaska, 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby (Seward, Alaska/Seward Tsunami Swim Club), brought her entire home state to its feet with her 100-meter breaststroke gold during the third finals session of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Jacoby touched in third at the 50-meter mark before putting on a technical display that put her in a stroke-for-stroke, all-out sprint in the last 15-or-so meters. Ultimately, she touched in 1:04.95 to claim gold.
“It was crazy, I was definitely racing for a medal – I knew that I had it in me,” Jacoby said. “I wasn’t really expecting a gold medal, so when I looked up and saw the scoreboard, it was insane.”
Gunnar Bentz (Atlanta, Ga./Dynamo Swim Club/TXLA), who was competing next in the semifinal of the men’s 200m butterfly, couldn’t help but feel the same.
“Right when I was walking to the ready room is when our whole team area just erupted (watching Jacoby),” Bentz said. “I’m so happy for her, she’s only 17 years old.”
The gold makes Jacoby the fourth-youngest swimmer to medal in the event in Olympic history as well as the first Olympic swimmer to medal (and compete) at the Olympic Games.
“It’s huge (for Alaska),” Jacoby said. “To be coming from a small club in a state with such a small population really shows everyone that you can do it no matter where you are from.”
Swimming just two lanes beneath the Olympic rookie in Jacoby was an Olympic veteran in Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club), who won bronze in 1:05.54. The medal increases King’s career count in Olympic competition to four, and places her alongside Rebecca Soni as the only U.S. woman to medal twice in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympic Games.
As for the backstroke medalists, Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics/Bolles) took home hardware in the men’s event, going 52.19 to touch third in a field that featured five of the seven fastest swimmers in history.
“That is the fastest backstroke field heat ever,” Murphy said. “To be a part of that, that was my best swim of the year, so it is nice to be able to do that in a pressure-packed final.
“It’s like, ‘shoot for the stars and land on the moon,’ that is kind of what it is. Winning an Olympic gold means you’re the best in the world – being third in the world is no slouch, so that is kind of how I view it.”
The medal gives Murphy his fourth-career medal at the Olympics and makes him the eighth U.S. swimmer to medal in the event in back-to-back Olympic Games.
In the women’s event, Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Riptide) also claimed bronze. Smith, age 19, becomes the 15th U.S. teenager to medal in the event, and she did so in 58.05, good for the 13th-fastest swim in history.
“I was right off of my time from semis and prelims, and that is one of my best times ever, so I really went out there and gave it my all,” Smith said. “It was a super stacked heat, so the fact that I came away with a medal, I really can’t ask for much more. I’m super, super pleased with it.”
Rhyan White (Herriman, Utah/University of Alabama/WFFM) touched fourth in 58.43, tying her personal best in her Olympic debut. White will return in the 200m backstroke.
Also having its final during the session was the men’s 200m freestyle, where Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./University of Florida) was the lone swimmer in the field in an American flag cap. Smith touched in fifth in each of the first three flip turns, before ultimately finished sixth in 1:45.12, less than half a second from a medal position.
The morning in Tokyo also consisted of three event semifinals: the women’s 200m freestyle, men’s 200m butterfly and women’s 200m individual medley. Moving on to tomorrow’s final was:
• Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Nation’s Capital/Alto Swim Club), who finished third in the 200m freestyle in 1:55.34
• Bentz, who finished sixth in the 200m butterfly in 1:55.28
• Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia), who finished first in the 200m I.M. in 2:09.21
• Alex Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./Nashville Aquatic Club/University of Virginia), who finished third in the 200m I.M. in 2:09.57.
The upcoming prelim session will kick off at 7 p.m. JST / 6 a.m. ET, followed by the next semifinals and finals session at 10:30 a.m. JST / 9:30 p.m. ET.
Jacoby touched in third at the 50-meter mark before putting on a technical display that put her in a stroke-for-stroke, all-out sprint in the last 15-or-so meters. Ultimately, she touched in 1:04.95 to claim gold.
“It was crazy, I was definitely racing for a medal – I knew that I had it in me,” Jacoby said. “I wasn’t really expecting a gold medal, so when I looked up and saw the scoreboard, it was insane.”
Gunnar Bentz (Atlanta, Ga./Dynamo Swim Club/TXLA), who was competing next in the semifinal of the men’s 200m butterfly, couldn’t help but feel the same.
“Right when I was walking to the ready room is when our whole team area just erupted (watching Jacoby),” Bentz said. “I’m so happy for her, she’s only 17 years old.”
The gold makes Jacoby the fourth-youngest swimmer to medal in the event in Olympic history as well as the first Olympic swimmer to medal (and compete) at the Olympic Games.
“It’s huge (for Alaska),” Jacoby said. “To be coming from a small club in a state with such a small population really shows everyone that you can do it no matter where you are from.”
Swimming just two lanes beneath the Olympic rookie in Jacoby was an Olympic veteran in Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club), who won bronze in 1:05.54. The medal increases King’s career count in Olympic competition to four, and places her alongside Rebecca Soni as the only U.S. woman to medal twice in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympic Games.
As for the backstroke medalists, Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics/Bolles) took home hardware in the men’s event, going 52.19 to touch third in a field that featured five of the seven fastest swimmers in history.
“That is the fastest backstroke field heat ever,” Murphy said. “To be a part of that, that was my best swim of the year, so it is nice to be able to do that in a pressure-packed final.
“It’s like, ‘shoot for the stars and land on the moon,’ that is kind of what it is. Winning an Olympic gold means you’re the best in the world – being third in the world is no slouch, so that is kind of how I view it.”
The medal gives Murphy his fourth-career medal at the Olympics and makes him the eighth U.S. swimmer to medal in the event in back-to-back Olympic Games.
In the women’s event, Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Riptide) also claimed bronze. Smith, age 19, becomes the 15th U.S. teenager to medal in the event, and she did so in 58.05, good for the 13th-fastest swim in history.
“I was right off of my time from semis and prelims, and that is one of my best times ever, so I really went out there and gave it my all,” Smith said. “It was a super stacked heat, so the fact that I came away with a medal, I really can’t ask for much more. I’m super, super pleased with it.”
Rhyan White (Herriman, Utah/University of Alabama/WFFM) touched fourth in 58.43, tying her personal best in her Olympic debut. White will return in the 200m backstroke.
Also having its final during the session was the men’s 200m freestyle, where Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./University of Florida) was the lone swimmer in the field in an American flag cap. Smith touched in fifth in each of the first three flip turns, before ultimately finished sixth in 1:45.12, less than half a second from a medal position.
The morning in Tokyo also consisted of three event semifinals: the women’s 200m freestyle, men’s 200m butterfly and women’s 200m individual medley. Moving on to tomorrow’s final was:
• Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Nation’s Capital/Alto Swim Club), who finished third in the 200m freestyle in 1:55.34
• Bentz, who finished sixth in the 200m butterfly in 1:55.28
• Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia), who finished first in the 200m I.M. in 2:09.21
• Alex Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./Nashville Aquatic Club/University of Virginia), who finished third in the 200m I.M. in 2:09.57.
The upcoming prelim session will kick off at 7 p.m. JST / 6 a.m. ET, followed by the next semifinals and finals session at 10:30 a.m. JST / 9:30 p.m. ET.