Meet Lydia Jacoby, a 17-year old B-School aspirant, who became the first Alaskan swimmer to win Olympic gold

1. Introduction
2. The day when Lydia Jacoby registered her name in the International Sporting Arena
3. Pitted against the world’s best 100m breaststroke champion
4. Swimming against the odds
5. The rise of a new 100m breaststroke champion
6. Leveraging the pandemic to steer her career in the right direction
7. Growing up to her childhood activities
8. What next for the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist?
9. Lydia Jacoby’s B-School dreams
10. What are you waiting for?

Introduction

“Seventeen-year-old Alaskan teen, Lydia Jacoby, stuns Lilly King, the defending world champion and world record-holder in the 100-meter breaststroke, and secures the gold medal for her country.”

The above headline has been doing its rounds in the sporting community and has taken the world by shock as to what an ambitious teen can accomplish if they are determined to do so. Let’s dive into what makes this headline so special and outstanding in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Lydia Jacoby is Alaska’s first Olympic swimmer and had never competed in any international sporting events before the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Nobody had seen this coming, not even the seventeen-year-old teen herself did, as she was surprised when she looked up at the giant LED screen and realized that she had won the gold medal for the 100 m breaststroke in Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The icing on the cake was not the gold medal but the competitor she had conquered over to win her medal. Let’s dive into the day this event happened.

The day when Lydia Jacoby registered her name in the International Sporting Arena

It was just a usual day in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The ones who already knew the sport had determined the event outcome as Lily King, a world-record holder and the unbeatable champion in 53 races, was the promising contender to win the event. The only competitor who was expected to come even closer to Lily was Russia’s Yuliya Efimova.

Pitted against the world’s best 100m breaststroke champion

Lily King was in track Five, and Lydia was in track 3. All that the commentators were talking about was how easy it is going to be for Lily to secure the gold medal. Nobody had even the slightest clue until the 59.2 seconds mark that a 17-year old Alaskan swimmer was the one who was going to dethrone the queen of 100-m breaststroke, world record holder, and defending champion.

Swimming against the odds

In the first half, it was the defending champion who had taken the lead, and the audience also had the cheer going on for her. But, Lydia’s comeback in the final split took everybody by shock, and she clocked 34.21s against Lily’s 34.83s.

The rise of a new 100m breaststroke champion

The commentators, for the first time in the Tokyo Olympics 100-m breaststroke event, ushered the name ‘Lydia Jacoby’ and went on to announce, “Lydia Jacoby is going to win gold for the United States.” Lily King herself crossed the ropes to congratulate Lydia, America’s new breaststroke queen, with a hug. The win marked the first individual gold for U.S female swimmers in Tokyo, which was a relief after four days of disappointment of the team falling short of expectations.

“It was crazy. I was definitely racing for a medal, I knew I had it in me but I wasn’t really expecting a gold medal,” she said. “When I looked up at the scoreboard it was insane.”

After the emphatic win, Lydia had told the reporters that, ‘Lily is a huge role model for me. I watched her swim in Rio, so it’s incredible to swim next to her and do this together.” Jacoby sounded like a veteran when she went on to add, “You just have to remember at the end of the day it is just another meeting. You just have to remember to keep your head on your shoulders and not get too carried away with the idea that you’re at the Olympics.”

Leveraging the pandemic to steer her career in the right direction

Had it not been due to the current pandemic situation, Lydia would have been one of the spectators rather than being a competitor. She had even purchased the tickets for her family and herself to watch the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The pandemic time gave Jacoby ample time to think, practice, and execute what had made her a global sporting sensation now. 

Growing up to her childhood activities

Lydia had been practicing in the pool since she was six years old and had marked her first state record at the age of 12 by representing Seward Tsunami Swim Club, as per SwimSwam. At the age of 14, she went on to win several competitions that include two high school state championships in the 200m individual medley and the 100m breaststroke. She qualified for the U.S Olympics Trials by hitting the standard at the USA Swimming Winter Nationals swim meet. 

What next for the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist?

All that she wants apart from the sporting life is to go back to Seward and complete another important task- graduating with her high school class next spring. And not just that, her main interest is a career in fashion, and she plans to major in textile and apparel fashion design and management. 

Lydia Jacoby’s B-School dreams

When speaking to Seward Journal, she had mentioned, “I would like to work in the fashion industry when I’m older, I’m also interested in journalism, so maybe incorporating that into some sort of fashion magazine position. They also have an amazing business school, so right now I’m thinking about minoring in business. I think that would be a great tool to have in my belt.”

Apart from sports, Lydia has extended her interests across various domains.  The rise of an underdog 17-year old teen from Alaska to a global sporting sensation by beating a world champion is a story to commemorate. 

What are you waiting for?

Just like Lydia’s B-School dream, if you too have an idea of pursuing a management program from a renowned university, now is the right time to do so. The admissions for the MBA Degree Program from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR is now open. The program offers the flexibility to manage your personal and professional life effectively so that your dreams are never put on hold. Tune in for more of our blogs.