2020 Tokyo Olympic Gold Medalist Lydia Jacoby will spend the spring semester abroad in Madrid, Spain. Earlier this year, Jacoby announced she would forego her remaining NCAA eligibility and turn pro.
Jacoby made the announcement on LinkedIn stating, “I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been accepted to spend my Spring 2025 semester on exchange at IAU Institute for American Universities in Madrid! While there, I’ll continue pursuing my degree in Advertising through The University of Texas at Austin all while immersing myself in the vibrant culture, history, and opportunities that Madrid has to offer. I’m looking forward to this incredible opportunity to grow both academically and personally, and I can’t wait to experience everything this amazing city has in store!”
Confirming to SwimSwam that she would be studying abroad, Jacoby stated, “I will be living in Madrid next semester and am planning to train at the Real Canoe pool but am still looking into some options. I’m excited to experience the training scene in Europe since competing over there has always been some of my best memories.”
Jacoby arrived at Texas in fall 2022, about a year after winning gold in the individual women’s 100 breaststroke at the 2020(1) Tokyo Olympics. She went on to win the NCAA title in the women’s 100 breaststroke as a first-year, touching in a 57.03.
She spent the fall semester of her sophomore season as an Olympic Redshirt but returned this past spring finishing 5th in the 100 breast and 9th in the 200 breast at NCAAs. This past summer, Jacoby just missed making the US Olympic Team as she touched 3rd in the 100 breast at US Olympic Trials.
She then announced at the start of the school year that she would forego her final two years of collegiate eligibility and turn pro. She has not raced in a meet since US Trials in June.
As she mentioned in her statement, this is not Jacoby’s first time in Europe. She competed at the Mare Nostrum tour in 2022 as well as 2023. Last fall, she swam at the World Cup stop in Budapest.
Is there a training group in Madrid? Study abroad is one of the best opportunities in college, and the timing in the quad is right to do something like this. Good for her.
Real Canoe, where she says her initial training will be at, is one of Spain’s most successful clubs. Four swimmers that represented the club swam at the Olympics in Paris (though they don’t all train there year round).
Doesn’t sound like she’s necessarily locked in to training with the club vs. training at the club, but it’s a good option. Training group isn’t going to lineup with what they have at Texas, but it’s certainly going to be a step up versus Alaska.
The club has seven pools.
Good for her. She has nothing else to prove as an Olympic gold medalist. If she’s done with swimming and she’s happy, then it’s the right choice.
💯
lol
She will remain an olympic gold medalist
The jealous teenage boy commenters will never have that. Let the girl enjoy her life, whatever she does.
“Studying”
She def ain’t gonna be training lmao.
Training at dem clubz
With her boyfriend. LOL
Not surprising at all. Pretty sure she her boyfriend is from Spain
Midrid is a horrid place to study abroad, no less to train
Por que?
Olympic gold after training in Alaska – she’ll make it work if she wants to.
Forget supporting a specific person or side from swimming. Going abroad gives you the opportunity to grow as a person, learn, and experience new perspectives. She deserves what she wants to do to have a meaningful experience. We have a privilege to watch her go through it all and learn and grow just like we all did. Goodnight.