Golden Goggle Award Nominees Announced by USA Swimming, led by Dressel, Ledecky, Jacoby, Finke
Following standout performances at the much-anticipated Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, USA Swimming will honor the top swimmers of Team USA at the 18th annual Golden Goggle Awards set for Tuesday, December 7 at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
Olympic champions Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Stanford Swimming/Alto Swim Club), Caeleb Dressel (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Bolles School Sharks/Florida), Lydia Jacoby (Seward, Alaska/Seward Tsunami Swim Club) and Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla./Saint Petersburg Aquatics/University of Florida) lead the group of nominees with three individual nominations each following standout performances at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Golden Goggle Awards nominations are based on the year’s top accomplishments by U.S. swimmers, focusing primarily on the 2020 Olympic Games, where Americans topped the medal table in Tokyo with 30 total medals (11 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze.) The United States’ top swimmers and coaches are nominated in eight categories. The complete list of 2021 Golden Goggle Awards nominees by category is listed below. Full bios are included on the online ballot and fan voting is now open through 18. A percentage of the fan vote will count towards the final ballot.
This year’s event will allow swimming stars and attendees to mingle with celebrities, outstanding athletes, business leaders and entertainment icons on Miami Beach. The host of the event will be renowned NBC sports personality and commentator Mike Tirico, who led the network’s coverage of this summer’s Olympic Games.
On November 29, the Golden Goggles online silent auction will open with all proceeds benefiting the USA Swimming Foundation. Please visit www.usaswimming.org/foundation#golden-goggle-awards for more information.
Since 2004, proceeds from the Golden Goggle Awards have benefited the USA Swimming Foundation, whose mission is to save lives and build champions. In addition to providing learn-to-swim grants to programs across the country, the USA Swimming Foundation supports the U.S. National Team and its development efforts aimed at strengthening the future of USA Swimming’s programs and services. In 2020, the Foundation broadened its focus to include providing grants to local clubs in need and supporting efforts to open our sport to more people than ever. New needs in our swimming community came to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Foundation answered the call, providing COVID-relief grants to more than 700 clubs.
Tickets are still available for this year’s Golden Goggle Awards. For questions or to purchase, please contact Jill Johnson at jjohnson@usaswimming.org. To learn more about the USA Swimming Foundation, please visit https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation.
2021 Golden Goggle Awards Nominees
Breakout Performer of the Year
This award is given to the athlete whose performance(s) stand out in relation to other years, with special emphasis on the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Bobby Finke
- Katie Grimes
- Lydia Jacoby
- Emma Weyant
Perseverance Award
This award is given to the athlete who came back from adversity, retirement, sickness, injury, etc., to have an outstanding performance(s) in 2021, with special emphasis on the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Annie Lazor
- Erica Sullivan
- Tom Shields
Coach of the Year
This award is given to the coach whose athlete(s) performed at the highest level throughout the year, with special emphasis on the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Ron Aitken
- Jack Bauerle
- Todd DeSorbo
- Greg Meehan
- Anthony Nesty
- Gregg Troy
Relay Performance of the Year
This award is given to the best team relay performance, male or female. The performance considered must be a finals performance, with special emphasis on the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Women’s 4 x 200m Free Relay (2020 Olympic Games)
- Men’s 4 x 100m Free Relay (2020 Olympic Games)
- Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay (2020 Olympic Games)
Female Race of the Year
This award is given to the female swimmer with the greatest single individual race of the year, with special emphasis on the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Lydia Jacoby – 100m Breaststroke (2020 Olympic Games)
- Katie Ledecky – 800m Freestyle (2020 Olympic Games)
- Katie Ledecky – 1500m Freestyle (2020 Olympic Games)
Male Race of the Year
This award is given to the male swimmer with the greatest single individual race of the year, with special emphasis on the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Caeleb Dressel – 100m Freestyle (2020 Olympic Games)
- Caeleb Dressel – 100m Butterfly (2020 Olympic Games)
- Bobby Finke – 800m Freestyle (2020 Olympic Games)
- Chase Kalisz – 400m Individual Medley (2020 Olympic Games)
Golden Goggle: Female Athlete of the Year
This award is given to the top female swimmer of the year with special emphasis on achievements at the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Lydia Jacoby
- Katie Ledecky
- Lilly King
- Regan Smith
Golden Goggle: Male Athlete of the Year
This award is given to the top male swimmer of the year with special emphasis on achievements at the 2020 Olympic Games.
- Bobby Finke
- Caeleb Dressel
- Chase Kalisz
- Ryan Murphy
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