Ian MacNicol/Getty Images. Daniel Knighton/Getty ImagesLydia Jacoby (17-year-old swimming) pulled off a surprise win to claim gold at the Olympics.Jacoby hails from Seward in Alaska, where she is a local hero.Seward's residents joked that Jacoby was a whale- and sea-lion trainer.For more stories, visit Insider's homepage.The world was stunned when Lydia Jacoby, a 17-year old swimmer, won gold in the women's 100-meter butterfly in Tokyo Olympics.Jacoby's victory added to her legend in Seward, Alaska where she is known as the "Aquatic Sea Mammal Trainer" because the town has only one swimming pool.Judy Odhner, co-owner of a cafe in the community, said to NBC News that Seward residents can tell tourists interesting myths about Jacoby’s training program.Odhner stated that "they can't believe that our tiny-weeny community has a pool." They'd be just as happy to believe Lydia trains every morning out there with the sea lions and whales. We accepted it. It's quite plausible, Lydia is an Alaskan girl.Jacoby's legacy in Seward will not fade soon after her win.Jacoby's classmates, friends, neighbors, and relatives watched the race on a huge screen at a railway terminal. The crowd was thrilled to see their neighbor, an Alaskan Olympic swimmer, win a gold medal as she surged past her favorite in the final stroke.Sewall, who is just 17 years old, will undoubtedly have lots more Jacoby to look out for in the future. Tourists and journalists will be visiting the town to ask about Sewall's background, and who knows what stories they might uncover?Insider has the original article.
