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|
| Jacob
PEBLEY |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
United States
|
| Gender | Men |
| Born | 17 Sep 1993
in Albany, OR, USA |
| Height | 1.93 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
San Diego, CA, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
Team Elite Aquatics: San Diego, CA, USA |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Psychology - University of California, Berkeley: United States |
General Interest |
Injuries |
In 2012 he suffered an ankle injury playing basketball and was forced to miss a grand prix event. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 22 Jul 2016) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
David Marsh [club], USA |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete, Coach |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Other information |
NO TRIALS
In June 2021 he announced he would not be attending the US Olympic Trials for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. In December 2020 he had stepped away from the sport for five months due to the pressures of elite competition. He had been struggling with the pressure of winning an Olympic medal since competing at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he finished fifth in the 200m backstroke. "As the days, weeks, months, years following the [2016] Games passed, my inner dialogue took its toll on me in the harshest of ways. It went from a fire of redemption into a desperation to achieve this goal. It went from something I dreamed about, to something I needed in order to be happy. I'm on a new journey that is only up to me to decide how it goes. And I hope that everyone competing at [2020] Trials and the Games will feel the same way. I'm not going to lie, it will be difficult for me to watch Trials and the Games, but I look forward to seeing everyone compete and enjoy the experience." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 03 Jun 2021)
SWIMMERS FOR CHANGE
In 2020 he and fellow US national team swimmer Lia Neal set up Swimmers For Change, an online discussion and fundraising platform for US swimmers. He and Neal created the initiative in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, and it features webinars on swimming and charitable causes. "It can be swimming's 'Justice League' and called upon when important. Each episode is different. Different charities, different topics. It's supposed to be a swimming-related topic unless the group feels comfortable enough to discuss key issues more deeply, like what Black Lives Matter stands for. I figured the best way for me to make the biggest impact was to use my skill set and my platform as a professional athlete. The main point of the webinars was to raise money for charities each group of athletes cared about. It has meant a lot to me to be a part of something like this. I've never really had time to invest heavily into something other than myself or my family." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 11 Feb 2021; usaswimming.org, 12 Jun 2020; finisswim.com, 25 Jun 2020)
SWIM CAMP
In 2018 he co-founded Back 2 Back Swim Camp with fellow US national swimmer Ryan Lochte in the United States of America. The camp is backstroke-specific and aimed at elite swimmers who must meet qualifying standards to be admitted to the two-day programme. (swimcoachesbasepodcast.com, 24 Mar 2020; back2backswimcamp.com, 01 Jul 2020)
LOSS OF MOTHER
His mother died of cancer in 2006. He uses her memory as motivation when he swims. "She was a huge part of my life, especially with swimming. My mum showed incredible strength in battling cancer, and every day, I try to show at least 10% of that strength. It's been a huge motivator in swimming, and I'm always swimming for her." (usaswimming.org, 12 Oct 2012) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (digitaljournal.com, 07 May 2018) |
Famous relatives |
His wife Nikki Pebley [nee Owens] competed in softball for the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States of America. (Nikki Pebley Facebook profile, 04 Nov 2020; swimswam.com, 23 Aug 2017; calbears.com, 14 Jan 2012) |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began swimming competitively at age six with the Albany Aquatic Association in Oregon, United States of America. |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Pebs, Pebbles (teamusa.org, 21 Aug 2016) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"You need to have fun with swimming. You have to find why you are doing it, because it can be monotonous since you are staring at a black line, and you need to get in your own world when you start swimming." (digitaljournal.com, 07 May 2018) |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Wife Nikki |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 5 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
200m Backstroke |
1:55.52 |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 6 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
200m Backstroke |
1:56.72 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
200m Backstroke |
1:55.06 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 5 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
200m Backstroke |
1:49.72 |
| 4 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 2 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
200m Backstroke |
1:48.98 |
| 6 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
100m Backstroke |
50.24 |
| 10 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
50m Backstroke |
23.63 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 8 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
DSQ |
| 2 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 50m Medley Relay |
1:31.97 |
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
200m Backstroke |
1:56.37 |
| 5 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Backstroke |
25.28 |
| 3 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Backstroke |
54.28 |
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