Lydia Jacoby grew up in Seward, Alaska, a town with 2,773 residents. She began competing with the Seward Tsunami Swim Club when she was six years old, won her first state title at age 12, made the cut for the Olympic Trials at 14, and won the 100-meter breaststroke event at the Junior National Championships in 2019. Even with these wins, Jacoby would have to shave off a few seconds in order to qualify for the Olympic team for the 100-meter breaststroke. In order to improve her timing, Lydia spent a month at the U.S. training camp in Hawaii.
With only one 50-meter pool in all of the 663,268 square miles of Alaska, it is not too surprising that no one from the 49th state has ever won a medal, much less a gold, for a swimming event in the Olympics. Anchorage’s Bartlett High School is home to the only Olympic-size pool. Although Seward is 2.5 hours south of Anchorage, it is where Lydia would go to practice and train. Although she never competed in an international competition, at 17 years of age, Lydia met the requirements for the women’s swimming team for the 2021 Olympics. Jacoby commented, “A lot of big-name swimmers come from big, powerhouse clubs and I think that me coming from a small club, and a state with such a small population, really shows everyone that you can do it no matter where you’re from.”
In the finals, at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Jacoby competed against teammate Lilly King, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, world record holder, and winner of 4 of the 5 fastest swims this year. After the final turn of the race, Lydia was third behind Tatjana Schoenmaker, of South Africa, and teammate King. With the wall and goal in mind, Jacoby kicked it into high gear and was able to pass both Schoenmaker and King, win the 100-meter breaststroke by two strokes, and earn the gold medal.
May we, too, be willing to train, overcome obstacles, sacrifice, make no excuses, throw off what hinders, and run the race that has been set for us, all the while keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 12:1-2a
