Lydia Jacoby Drops 2:24.03 200 Breast For Massive Two-Second Best Time

2023 MARE NOSTRUM TOUR – BARCELONA

• Wednesday, May 17th & Thursday, May 18th
•  Club Natació Sant Andreu, Barcelona, Spain
• LCM (50m)
• World Championships Qualifier
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
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Lydia Jacoby‘s run of good form continued on Thursday on the second day of the Mare Nostrum Tour stop in Barcelona, as the 19-year-old American delivered a significant best time en route to victory in the women’s 200 breaststroke.

Jacoby, who swam her fastest time since winning 2021 Olympic gold in the 100 breast on the opening day of the meet, dropped nearly two seconds in the 200 breast on Day 2, clocking 2:24.03 to earn a come-from-behind win.

 

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Jacoby’s previous best time stood at 2:25.98, set at the Monaco leg of the 2022 Mare Nostrum Tour last May.

The biggest difference between the two swims was Jacoby’s aggression on the second 50, though she was quicker on every split:

Split Comparison

She charged to victory in Barcelona thanks to her blistering closing 50, having run down Denmark’s Thea Blomsterberg (2:24.50), who was nearly nine-tenths ahead at the final turn.

🏆 Podium Final A Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona – Circuit @MareNostrumswim

🏊‍♀️‍♀️️ 200m Breaststroke Women

🥇 LYDIA JACOBY 🇺🇸 (2:24.03)
🥈 THEA BLOMSTERBERG 🇩🇰 (2:24.50)
🥉 ANA BLAZEVIC 🇭🇷 (2:26.58)

Més info: https://t.co/ifZVbl77E5 @nataciocat #TICBnatacio23 pic.twitter.com/a10G8FsEwM

— CN Sant Andreu (@CNsantandreu) May 18, 2023

Jacoby’s previous PB from Monaco last year came one month after the U.S. International Team Trials, where she missed a spot on the 2022 World Championship team after her stunning Olympic gold medal victory in Tokyo.

While failing to earn a spot on the Worlds team was certainly a setback for the Seward, Alaska native, she has been on fire ever since.

Jacoby reached a new level in the short course pool during her freshman year at the University of Texas, setting new National Age Group Records for 17-18 girls in both the 100-yard (57.29) and 200-yard breast events (2:04.32), finishing things off by winning the NCAA title in the 100 breast.

Already a major threat to earn an individual spot at the 2023 World Championships in the women’s 100 breast at U.S. Nationals next month, having placed fourth last year behind Lilly King, Annie Lazor and Kaitlyn Dobler, Jacoby’s 2:24.0 performance puts her in the conversation in the 200 breast as well.

However, she’ll probably need to continue her progression in order to truly challenge for a spot, as the U.S. had three of the four-fastest swimmers in the world last year: King (2:21.19), Kate Douglass (2:21.43) and Lazor (2:21.91).