Olympic gold medalist swimmers Bobby Finke and Lydia Jacoby won big at the 2021 Golden Goggle Awards, which took place on December 7 at the Faena Hotel in Miami Florida. Digital Journal has the recap.
Jacoby and Finke took home the top honors for the Phillips 66 “Female ace Performance of the Year” and the Phillips 66 “Male Race Performance of the Year.”
Swimming at her first international competition, 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby claimed her first gold medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke in Tokyo, pulling off a major upset by defeating defending Olympic champion, Lilly King. Also, in making the Olympic team, Jacoby became the first swimmer from Alaska to ever qualify for Team USA.
In addition, Jacoby took home the Golden Goggle Award for “Breakout Performer of the Year.”
Most recently, Lydia Jacoby was spotlighted in “The Donna Drake Show” on CBS New York, where she was interviewed by two-time Telly award-winning host Donna Drake about her journey in swimming.
Bobby Finke was recognized for his gold medal-winning performance in the first-ever men’s 800m freestyle race contested at the Olympic Games. With 100 meters remaining, Finke was in fifth place. At the 750 meter mark, Finke was still in fourth place. But with an amazing surge over the final 50 meters, Finke became the first U.S. man to win Olympic gold in a distance free event since 1984, breaking the American record in the process.
Since 2004, proceeds from the Golden Goggle Awards have benefited the USA Swimming Foundation, whose mission is to save lives and build champions.The USA Swimming Foundation supports the U.S. National Team and its development efforts aimed at strengthening the future of USA Swimming’s programs and services.
In 2020, the USA Swimming Foundation broadened its focus to include providing grants to local clubs in need and supporting efforts to open our sport to more people than ever.
For a complete list of the Golden Goggle Awards winners, visit the official USA Swimming website.
