Doing It For The A: Alaska’s first Olympic swimmer wins gold

TOKYO (AP) — When you’re a swimmer from Alaska, there are some misguided stereotypes that must be laughed off. Lydia Jacoby has surely heard them all before. For instance, a teammate says “she practically swims in iced-over lakes.” Uhh, no. Jacoby does her swimming at a pool, though even that has been a bit of a challenge during the coronavirus era. No matter. She’s an Olympic champion. Jacoby pulled off a stunning upset in the 100-meter breaststroke, beating defending champion Lilly King. Jacoby already was the first swimmer from Alaska to make the U.S. Olympic team. Now, she’s got a gold.