PARIS- A Treasure State native is coming home from Paris with some new hardware.
In her first-ever Olympic appearance, Missoula’s Katharine Berkoff secured her first Olympic medal by claiming the Bronze spot in the Women’s 100-meter Backstroke.
The Hellgate High graduate finished the race in 57.98 seconds, the fastest time she recorded in her two days of competition. Berkoff was narrowly edged for the Gold and Silver spots by Kaylee McKeown of Australia, who won first place with her record time of 57.33 seconds, and fellow American Regan Smith, who finished just behind McKeown in 57.66 seconds.
Berkoff’s time in Paris got off to a good start as she took first place in her heat with a time of 57.99 to send her on to the semifinals. Later in the second of two semifinal heats, Berkoff swam for a time of 58.27 seconds, which was good for second place.
While the Bronze medal is a remarkable achievement by itself, success is hardly new for the illustrious Berkoff. In her young-but-decorated career, she has amassed five NCAA championships, 30 All-American titles across several events, and six ACC Championships from her time at North Carolina State University.
With her finish on the podium, Berkoff joins her father, David, who is a four-time Olympic medalist in his own right.