• Vote for the 2021 Golden Goggle Awards

The 2021 Golden Goggle Awards are set to highlight some of the nation’s fastest athletes and most memorable races from the past year. As the countdown inches closer to the star-studded event, here is an in-depth look at the athletes who are up for this year’s Breakout Performer of the Year award:

Bobby Finke
Before the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, Bobby Finke was ranked as the 17th-fastest 1500m freestyler and 24th-fastest 800m freestyler in the world this year. But in Tokyo, he shocked the swimming world by capturing gold medals in both events. His amazing speed over the final 100 meters in both races captivated the American swimming community. He became the first U.S. Olympic champion in the 1500 since Mike O’Brien in 1984.

To read Finke's full bio, click here, and be sure to check out some of his remarkable swims from this past summer:

• Trials 800m freestyle
• Trials 1500m freestyle
• Olympic 800m freestyle
• Olympic 1500m freestyle

Katie Grimes
Before Trials, 15-year-old Katie Grimes’ resume in the 800m freestyle consisted of three TYR Pro Swim Series appearances and two Toyota U.S. Open performances - three of those five performances did not even feature a finals swim. She managed to squeak into the final of the 800 free in Omaha, and from lane eight, she surprised the field by grabbing the second U.S. spot behind Katie Ledecky. In her Olympic debut in Tokyo she finished just off the podium in fourth place. Grimes is the 15th-fastest swimmer in history and only the fourth American to ever go 8:17 in the event.

"I can't wait to see what Katie can accomplish," Ledecky said of Grimes after they qualified in Omaha. "Not just this year but—I mean, no pressure—but I think in your swimming career. Obviously you've got a huge swimming career ahead of you. It's really fun to see."

Grimes' bio can be found here. Relive her Olympic-qualifying swim from lane eight in Omaha here.
 
Lydia Jacoby
Swimming at her first international competition at any level, 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby pulled off a major upset by winning the gold medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke over defending Lilly King, the defending Olympic champion. In making the Olympic team, Jacoby became the first swimmer from Alaska to ever qualify for a U.S. team. Jacoby was also integral on the 4x100m women’s medley relay, swimming a strong breaststroke leg in the final to help the U.S. secure the silver medal.

Click here to read Jacoby's bio, while her 100m breaststroke swims can be found below:

• Trials 100m breaststroke
• Olympic 100m breaststroke

Emma Weyant
Emma Weyant, age 19, competed in her first National Team competition in Tokyo and made the most of that opportunity by capturing the silver medal in the women’s 400m individual medley. She had earned her ticket to the Olympics by winning a heart-stopping 400 IM race on day one of the Olympic Trials in Omaha. Her time of 4:32.76 made her the fifth-fastest American in history in the event.

Read more on Weyant here and re-watch her Trials 400 IM here. Her silver-medal-winning swim can be found here. 

For more information on the 2021 Golden Goggle Awards, head to https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation#golden-goggle-awards.