For the first time in history, a Juneau high school swimmer has qualified to compete in the Olympic trials.
Thunder Mountain High School senior PJ Foy achieved the milestone after hitting a personal best in the 100-meter butterfly last month in Washington state. But according to Foy, at first he didn’t know he’d done it.
“I’m not gonna lie — it took me a while to figure that out. Because I read the time wrong, so it took me a while. But I was just really happy,” he said. “All I wanted to do was get out of the pool and hug my parents and my coach, because, without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
In June, he’ll compete in Indianapolis alongside some of the best swimmers in the country.
Foy — who is just 18 years old — holds multiple swim records in the state. After graduating high school in Juneau this May, he will head to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to compete on its swim team.
Before Foy, the last Alaskan to make it to the trials was Seward’s Lydia Jacoby. In 2021, she became the first Alaska-born swimmer to win a medal in the Olympics.
Foy said he worked hard to make it to the trials and feels extremely proud.
“It means a lot. I’ve been doing my best to represent the swim community since I started high school,” he said. “It’s been an honor to be able to represent everybody in this way.”
The Olympic trials will take place from June 15 to 23.