"It meant a lot to be able to represent" - Lydia Jacoby on being the first Alaskan to qualify and win a gold medal at the Olympics

Lydia Jacoby is the first Alaskan to, not only have qualified, but have won a gold medal in swimming at any Olympic Games. Jacoby represented USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a 17-year-old and achieved the incredible feat in the women's 100m breaststroke. She also won a silver medal in the 4x100m medley.

In a recent interview with Glamour, Jacoby expressed the significance of winning an Olympic medal. She even reminisced about the video from the watch party in Seward, Alaska that went viral after her victory. The video showcases the crowd going wild after she won the gold.

“It’s incredible,” she expressed.

"I think a lot of people have seen the video of my hometown celebrating together. It’s definitely a very tight-knit community, so it meant a lot to be able to represent and know everybody was behind me,” said Jacoby

Jacoby left behind Tatjana Schoenmaker and Lilly King to touch the wall first by clocking a spectacular 1:04.95. Schoenmaker clocked 1:05.22, while King finished in 1:05.54. In the 4x100m medley, she won a silver medal along with her team by clocking 3:51.73.

"I’d been staying on top of everything and it was all catching up to me" - Lydia Jacoby on being a student-athlete

Lydia Jacoby before competing in the women's 50m breaststroke heats at the Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana

Along with being an Olympic swimmer, Lydia is also a student at the University of Texas in Austin and is pursuing her major in textiles and apparel.

Hailing from the small town of Seward, with an approximate population of 2,700, Jacoby always wanted to move to a big city for her college. Nurturing her passion for both swimming and fashion, she shared that she went through a phase where she had to juggle as a student-athlete.

"I’d been staying on top of everything and it was all catching up to me," she said. "There was definitely a point last year where I was getting super overwhelmed," continued Jacoby.

"I was just going a hundred in so many areas of my life," she said. "And someone here said to me, 'It’s impossible to give a 100% to every single thing',” continued Jacoby.

In 2021, Jacoby partnered with Arena, a performance swimwear brand, after the NCAA lifted the rule that had previously prevented student-athletes from collaborating with brands.