Tokyo Olympics: U.S. Teenage Swimmer Lydia Jacoby Bags Gold Medal, Beating Lilly King for 100 Breaststroke
Alaskan teenage swimmer Lydia Jacoby bagged the gold medal for the U.S. on the 100 breaststroke, making her the first American woman to win the title in swimming, in Tokyo Olympics 2020.
USA Today reported that Jacoby won over her teammate Lilly King, who was chasing her second Olympic gold in the same category. Jacoby was known to be the first Olympic swimmer and only the 10th Summer Olympian to be born in Alaska.
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U.S. Teenage Swimmer Lydia Jacoby Wins Gold in Tokyo Olympics 2020
Jacoby topped the category by finishing the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:04.95, Yahoo! Sports reported. She was followed by Tatjana Schoenmaker from South Africa who finished in 1:05.22. meanwhile, Rio Olympics champion Lilly King finished the match .59 of a second behind Jacoby.
At the beginning of the race, the match centered on Schoenmaker and King and did so over 50 meters. However, Jacoby pulled off and surged ahead of the two veterans on the last 25 meters and wowed the crowd.
After touching the wall of the pool and looking at the scoreboard, Jacoby thought the situation was "insane."
"I was definitely racing for a medal. I knew I had it in me," Jacoby said in an interview Jacoby furthered that she was not expecting to win a gold medal.
Although she won gold in the race, Jacoby noted during an interview in the Trials that she would not be prepared if the competition was held in the previous year. During the pandemic, the gold medalist moved to Anchorage to train because there was no Olympic-length pool in Seward, Alaska.
"I think this extra year of training I've grown physically and mentally," Jacoby stressed.
It can be recalled that in 2019, Lydia Jacoby was the 18th fastest woman in the same category. Jacoby lowered her time from 1:08.12 to 1.05.28 during the U.S. trials and successfully broke her 1.05 mark during her win at Tokyo Olympics.
Despite her loss in defending her title, the Rio Olympics champion shared that she was satisfied with the outcome of the race.
"I'm surprisingly okay right now. Very happy with my race, and so excited for Lydia," King noted in an interview.
Tokyo Olympics: Ryan Murphy Claims Bronze in 100-Meter Backstroke
Meanwhile, in Men's Division, Rio Olympics Champion Ryan Murphy wins bronze for the 100 meters backstroke of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. USA Today Sports reported that five of the eight swimmers in the competition were Murphy's competitors in Rio five years ago.
"Winning an Olympic gold means you're the best in the world. Being third in the world is no slouch," Murphy noted, labeling his experience as "shot for the stars, land on the moon."
Murphy finished the race at 52.19 as he claimed the bronze, entering the final with the top qualifying time of 52.24.
Despite not defending his title, Ryan Murphy underscored that his performance in Tokyo Olympics 2020 was his "best" swim of the year.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
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