Lydia Jacoby, a 17-year-old swimmer from Alaska, made history Monday night after taking home the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke.
It was a surprise win over defending champion and teammate Lilly King, who took bronze, while South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker earned the silver.
Jacoby is the first Olympic swimmer from Alaska and only the 10th summer Olympian to hail from the state. Footage from the watch party in her hometown of Seward showed her friends jumping up and down as she clinched the win.
Meanwhile her parents, at a watch party in Orlando, Florida, couldn't stop cheering for their daughter.
As NBC commentators noted during the race, Jacoby doesn't even normally train in an Olympic-size pool, which is a standard 50 meters. Her town only has a 25-meter pool that she normally practices in.
In an interview following her historic win, she said she was just happy to be there.
"Thank you for all the support and everything over these years, it’s been amazing," she said.
Her teammate, King, was heavily favored to win going into the event after winning gold during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Jacoby, on the other hand, came from behind to take second place in the same event at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, in June. In doing so, she became Alaska's first Olympic swimmer.
"We love to keep that gold in the USA family," King said after Monday's race. "This kid just had the swim of her life and I am so proud to be her teammate."