In wake of ‘frustrating’ showing at Olympic trials, Lydia Jacoby draws strength from renewed self-image
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Seward swimmer Lydia Jacoby finished third Monday in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke final at the U.S. Olympic Qualifying Trials in Indianapolis, dooming her chances to automatically qualify for the Olympics in the event she won gold in three years ago.
Jacoby finished third with a time of 1 minute, 6.37 seconds, just 0.27 seconds behind second-place Emma Weber. Lilly King won the women’s final in 1:05.43 to stamp her return to the Olympics, which will kick off later this summer in Paris, France.
“It hasn’t quite hit me yet,” Jacoby told the Associated Press on Tuesday on missing the Olympics. “I definitely had a little cry last night. But I’ve been doing pretty well today, so I’m sure there’ll be a lot of time to cross those emotions in the next couple of weeks. I am trying to line up some fun things to look forward to this summer.”
The 20-year-old had also qualified for the preliminary round of the 200-meter breaststroke, but opted to sit out the race.
“I’m a little frustrated,” Jacoby said. “I’m so happy for Lilly. I’m so happy for Emma. I’ve been racing both of them for years. It’s going to be an amazing experience, so I wish them both the best. But it’s just frustrating.”
Three years earlier, Jacoby became the first Alaskan swimmer to reach the Olympics.
The Seward native then won the gold medal in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.95), becoming a household name almost overnight. Upon returning to her hometown, the high schooler received a hero’s welcome, still having her one more year with the Seward High School and Seward Tsunami swim clubs.
She now swims for the University of Texas in Austin.
Everything changed for Jacoby in 2021 with her incredible Olympics showing. Earning a highly-coveted medal at just 17 years old sparked overwhelming praise for Jacoby from the residents of Seward and across Alaska. But the sudden fame and pressure to continue her excellence took its toll, and Jacoby says she fell into depressive episodes.
Altering how she looked at herself helped Jacoby find some joy again.
“Being a swimmer is something I do,” she told the AP. “It’s not something I am. I have so many interests and passions. I have amazing friends, amazing family outside of the sport. So I feel like remembering those things is just a big thing for me.”
Coach Solomon D’Amico has been working with Jacoby for almost 10 years, and has seen first-hand Jacoby’s transformation.
“It’s been really special to watch her transform and grow a lot, not just as a swimmer but a person, too,” D’Amico said. “She’s gone through a lot in a short amount of time and handled a lot of adversity, unforeseen adversity, in a really healthy, positive way.”
He believes that his time with Jacoby has been life-changing.
″Really at her core, she cares about herself, she cares about people, she cares about being a good person and that is honestly probably the most important thing, the biggest takeaway about her,” D’Amico said. “The gold medal and silver medal aside, she is a good person to her core and that makes all the difference. Hopefully everybody enjoys her story and takes some inspiration from it.”
Jacoby became one of the Longhorn’s best swimmers.
Richard Jacoby is the father of the Olympian and attended the trials. Before her race on Monday, he reaffirmed his daughter is much more than just a talented swimmer.
“She’s a rockstar,” he said. “We’re proud of her. No matter what happens. She’s an astounding human being. Not just an astounding swimmer, but just really good all around, well-rounded person.”
Jacoby told the AP she hopes to make the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“I don’t feel like I put up a swim that was a good representation of what I can do, which is the most frustrating part to me,” Jacoby said. “But I’ll be back and be better.”
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