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Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby of Seward missed out on one of her strongest events at the world short-course swimming championships in Abu Dhabi over the weekend due to a COVID-19 close contact.
According to FINA, the international federation overseeing water sports, seven competitors tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Under health protocols implemented by the United Arab Emirates and organizers, athletes potentially exposed to the virus were withdrawn from competition.
Both Jacoby and fellow American Katie Grimes were pulled due to COVID-19 protocols.
“I’m absolutely gutted to have my time at the World Championships come to a close so soon, my participation in the event ending abruptly due to my close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual,” Jacoby, 17, wrote in an Instagram post Monday.
After learning of the exposure, Jacoby worked with organizers to abide by health protocols.
“After testing negative multiple times, I was cleared to travel home without putting anyone at risk,” she wrote.
All competitors were required to have negative results from a PCR test prior to entering the UAE and test negative again within 48 hours of arriving, according to FINA.
Jacoby missed competing in the 100-meter breaststroke — the same event in which she set an unofficial junior national short-course record in October, at a FINA World Cup meet in Berlin. She also won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke in Tokyo this summer at the Olympics, where races are held in 50-meter pools instead of 25-meter-long “short-course” pools.
[Seward cheers Lydia Jacoby’s return from Olympic Games]
Before she was pulled from the short-course world championships, Jacoby helped Team USA take silver in the 4x50-meter medley relay. She also was a semifinalist in the 50-meter breaststroke but didn’t advance to finals.
“I’m proud to have once again represented Team USA, and even earned a spot on the podium with an amazing group of women,” Jacoby wrote.