Recent Juneau high school graduate and soon-to-be collegiate swimmer PJ Foy competed in the U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis on Friday.
The Thunder Mountain High School alumni competed in the men’s 100-meter butterfly alongside some of the best swimmers in the country. He finished 49 out of more than 60 swimmers. That means he won’t compete for Team USA in the Paris games. But, he said just being at the trials was an amazing experience.
“It was so cool to see — I was able to see a lot of the swimmers that I’ve looked up to in years past,” he said.
Foy is just 18 years old and holds multiple swim records in Alaska. He’s headed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study computer programming and compete on its swim team.
Last week, he traveled to Indianapolis with his family, who helped him get acclimated to the time change and get used to the venue. Foy said their support, along with the swimming community in Juneau, is what made this race so special to him.
“The only thing I wanted to say is thank you to everyone,” he said. “Like everyone who’s ever supported me in every little way. Whether or not it seems like it means a lot, it always means a ton.”
PJ’s mom, Catherine Foy, said he has received nothing but support from the swimming community across Alaska. Watching him compete on Friday was an extremely proud moment for her as a parent.
“I was so proud when he came out of that tunnel where they enter the stadium,” she said. “His head was up. And he was in full beast mode. He was ready to race.”
At the trials, Foy joined fellow Alaskan Lydia Jacoby from Seward. In 2021, she became the first Alaska-born swimmer to medal in the Olympics. This time around, she placed third in the 100-meter breaststroke and withdrew from the 200-meter breaststroke final, meaning she also won’t compete in the Paris Olympics.
But, in a statement on social media, she assured supporters that “I am not defined by my results. I am more than an athlete. I will be back. And I will be better.”
