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The Olympics create heroes. Sometimes those heroes aren’t involved in competition. Sometimes they’re sporting floral swim trunks, a dad bod and are waiting to be called into action.
The latest hero was on full display after one of Sunday’s women’s 100-meter breaststroke preliminary races. Team USA’s Emma Weber lost her swim cap and with it sitting at the bottom of the pool someone had to jump in and retrieve it before the next heat could begin.
That person would be “Bob the Cap Catcher,” at least that’s what NBC swimming analyst and seven-time Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken dubbed the man. He would save the day and the crowd at La Défense Arena were appreciative of his efforts and choice of swimwear.
Why was “Bob the Cap Catcher” the one to go into the pool to retrieve Weber’s lost swim cap and not Weber herself?
“This situation is common at swimming competitions,” a Paris 2024 spokesperson told CNN. “As the lifeguards are the only people wearing swimwear, apart from the athletes, a request may be made to fetch an item at the bottom of the pool prior to the next race. In this case, the request was made to the lifeguard closest to the item.”
Who is “Bob the Cap Catcher?” According to a Paris 2024 spokesperson, he’s a lifeguard at the pool and he has declined media requests for his name hoping to keep his attention on his responsibilities for the rest of the swimming competition.
As noted on the NBC broadcast, swimmers sometimes wear multiple caps during events, which means “Bob” the Cap Catcher” could be called into action again as competition runs through August 9.
Source Agencies
