Lydia Jacoby, whose name resonated around the world during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, continues to shine while pursuing her major in textiles and apparel at the University of Texas at Austin. Jacoby’s journey from the icy waters of her picturesque hometown of Seward, Alaska, to the grand stage of Olympic glory is nothing short of extraordinary. Her achievements in the pool—a gold medal in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke and a silver medal in the women’s 4×100-meter medley relay—have already etched her name into the chronicles of swimming history.
However, Jacoby’s impact goes beyond the lanes of the swimming pool. Her dedication to mentoring through organizations like Voice in Sport and her commitment to promoting women in athletics demonstrate her character as a true leader and advocate for social change. She stands tall as an Alaskan athlete, representing a diverse and underrepresented group with her efforts to preserve women’s sports at the grassroots level.
As Jacoby continues her college education at the University of Texas at Austin, we eagerly anticipate the next chapters of her remarkable story. Her involvement in swimming, combined with her passion for design and creativity, hints at a promising future of making waves both in and out of the water. For her Glamour College Woman of the Year interview, she connects with Olympic gold medalist and world champion Simone Manuel, who’s celebrated for her achievements in swimming as well as her Simone Manuel Foundation, which provides education and resources for BIPOC youth by promoting positive swim readiness and increasing water safety awareness in communities of color.
Simone Manuel: Congrats on being named one of Glamour’s College Women of the Year! What does this mean to you?
Lydia Jacoby: Obviously swimming’s a huge part of my life, so it means a lot to be honored in this way. And then, also, I’ve always been so into fashion, so it’s fun to have two areas of my life intersect.
What’s your favorite part about being at the University of Texas, and what drew you to become a student athlete there?
I chose it in large part because of Carol Capitani. She’s the head coach here and one of the few female head coaches in the country for swimming. So that was a big attraction. And then I also always wanted to go to college somewhere in a cool city, and Austin definitely fits that. So it’s been fun coming from small-town Alaska to be in a city with lots of stuff going on, music, art, and all that.
Why was working with a female head coach important to you?
There are obviously some incredible male coaches out there, but I really liked that she could relate to me in a lot of ways. Also, coming so far from home, she’s kind of like a mother figure here as well as my coach. I’m very grateful to have her as my coach.
So you’re the first from your state, Alaska, to qualify for an Olympic Games in swimming, and then you went on to make even more history by winning a gold medal. What did breaking those barriers mean to you?
It’s incredible. I think a lot of people have seen the video of my hometown celebrating together. It’s definitely a very tight-knit community, so it meant a lot to be able to represent and know everybody was behind me.
Has the meaning of this victory changed today?
When you first win a medal, you don’t quite know how to process that. I feel like the longer I move away from that moment and the more interactions I have, the more I realize how much impact that medal had on so many people’s lives. I can’t remember who told me this, but the memories are for us and the medals are to be shared. So it’s meant a lot to realize how inspiring that is to people and how much it means. So just being able to share that has been the biggest thing.
Was it always your dream to become an Olympian?
Yeah. As a young athlete, I think that’s what everybody strives for. And growing up in Alaska, it was such a small population, so as soon as I really started seeing success that was different from everybody else’s, even just state records and stuff like that, from the time I was 12 or 14, people would be like, “Oh, Lydia’s the little Olympian.” So I just really embodied that and manifested it.
What’s it like winning a gold medal? I feel like sometimes it’s hard to put into words.
That’s a hard one. It was something I’d pictured in my head so many times, but actually doing it was so completely different than anything I’d ever imagined or dreamed of. And just like we talked about before, the longer you sit with that medal, the more it does come to mean to you and mean to the people around you.
What are some of the things that you learned from your Olympic experience that you can take with you for the rest of your life?
The biggest thing is that it really isn’t an individual sport. I feel like so many of the friendships that I made on the team, connections with the coaches, staff, everyone supporting me along the way, there’s so many pieces involved in it, and I kind of realized that the people who are with you along the way are the most important part of the process, and that’s the part that you’re going to remember in the future.
Swimming has afforded you the opportunity to travel quite a bit. What’s one of your favorite places you’ve been to?
It’s hard to choose just one, but Paris is probably my favorite. I’ve been there several times, so it’ll be fun to try to make it back there with the Olympics next summer. Where else? I loved Singapore this summer for training camp. It was so different from anywhere I’d ever been. And yeah, I love Cornwall in the UK, so those are definitely the top three.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about being a student athlete?
There was definitely a point last year where I was getting super overwhelmed. I’d been staying on top of everything and it was all catching up to me, and I was just going a hundred in so many areas of my life. And someone here said to me, “It’s impossible to give a 100% to every single thing, so pick out the things that are important to you and give those 90%, 95%, and then rank them. So you don’t have to put 100% of yourself into everything; it’s not sustainable.”
That’s a lesson I’ll take with me. Is there a particular woman that inspires you?
One of my biggest role models growing up was Jessica Hardy. She was a world-record holder in my event, and she came into the clinic when I was younger in Alaska and helped guide me through the Olympic process when I was getting to that point. So it’s been really special to think about now how I could potentially be that for someone someday.
It’s like a ripple effect. So now we’re going to jump into some of your passions. You love fashion, photography, decorating, and cooking. What’s fulfilling about pursuing and making time to explore these things outside of the pool and the classroom?
It can get tedious and you can get in your head if you’re spending too much time focusing on swimming. I feel like just having other things going on—whether that’s playing my guitar from time to time or learning a new recipe or going and [taking photos] with my friends—gives me relief and lets me focus elsewhere for a little bit so that when I am at the pool, I can be all in rather than just kind of overthinking all the time. I’m not going to be swimming forever, so it’s important to have other things going on so you don’t have that complete culture shock when that’s over.
You’re really into fashion. How did that interest begin and how do you see yourself integrating fashion into your daily life?
It started when I was little. I was into dolls, but mainly just dressing them. I would go thrifting a lot when I was younger, so it all came together. And now I’m partnered with [performance swimwear brand] Arena, working on a suit line. It’s been fun to see how fashion fits into so much of our everyday lives. I also was always fascinated with high fashion, which I still am, but it’s been neat to be in-depth on the athletic-apparel side because that’s obviously something that’s a huge part of my life. If you’re dressed well, you feel good, and I think that’s pretty special.
What’s a beauty product you can’t live without?
Perfume is the big one. I wear Gucci Flora, and I just love it because I spend so much time smelling like a weight room or a pool. So I always put a little bit on before bed to go to bed smelling good.
What’s your favorite trend in fashion right now?
Athleisure. I feel like everything’s getting a little bit more laid-back, and that’s been especially nice with training and stuff. Being able to put on a matching sweatsuit and still look cute and trendy, it’s perfect.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Motivated, creative, and adventurous.
What might you tell seven-year-old Lydia right now ?
To enjoy the process. I think that it’s easy, especially in swimming, to feel the pressures of: You’re seven years old, but you have to go to this practice, this practice, and this practice if you ever want to be good. And I feel like just remembering to live your life and there’ll always be another day to go to that practice or do the hard thing. So just enjoy life and enjoy the process.
