17-Year-Old Lydia Jacoby Upsets Lilly King, Wins Gold in Women's 100M Breaststroke

Lydia Jacoby reacts after upsetting Lilly King in the women's 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics

Jonathan Nackstrand/Contributor

Reigning gold medalist Lilly King was dethroned in the 100-meter breaststroke in Tokyo on Monday night. 

King was upset by fellow American Lydia Jacoby, who finished less than a second over South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker. King, who entered as the favorite, finished third after winning the gold medal both in Rio in 2016 and at the 2017 world championships.

Jacoby, 17, is an Alaska native slated to attend the University of Texas at Austin this fall. She is the first swimmer from Alaska to qualify for the Olympics after winning the junior national championship in the 100-meter breaststroke in 2019. Jacoby has certainly earned her "Alaskan Assassin" nickname after ending King's quest for back-to-back golds on Monday.

"I was racing for a medal," Jacoby said following her victory. "I definitely wasn’t expecting a gold medal."

Team USA raised its medal count to 17 with a pair of top-three finishes in the women's 100-meter breaststroke. China holds the overall medal lead at 18, while Japan's eight gold medals currently paces the field.