Phoebe Bacon made two Olympic teams as a backstroker and won multiple NCAA championships as a backstroker.
But when the backstroke events didn’t develop into a spot on Team USA at the 2025 U.S. National Championships, Bacon showed the same grit and toughness that made her an elite backstroker and took it to the 200 IM.
She surged to a second-place finish in the event ( 2:09.22) to land a spot on another international team.
“Then this 200 IM has been a longtime coming. I have never really gotten to swim it fully tapered so it has just become one of those off, fun events for me. I have wanted it to become something good and I guess this was the year,” Phoebe Bacon said. “I touched the wall, looked up at the wall and was baffled. I have always wanted the 200 IM to be part of my worlds/Olympic swimming and I didn’t know when it was going to hit. But it happened to hit tonight.
“I was so happy and proud of the training I have put in.”
Bacon was out fast in the finals, leading after the butterfly leg and the backstroke leg before Alex Walsh took the lead in the breaststroke and was able to hold off Bacon down the stretch.
But when Walsh saw that Bacon was second, she lit up.
“I was very happy for Phoebe. I can only imagine how tough it is to not make the team in the backstrokes when the competition is so stiff,” Walsh said. “To see her fight for it – I saw her at the 100 and I was like, damn she is going for it. I am excited to be in the ready room with her. She is one of my closest friends in the swimming world. I am happy we have another national team to go to together.”
All because Bacon had complete trust in herself, both mentally and physically.
“Trusting myself and staying in my lane. The last thing my coach said was for me to swim my race and that is what I did,” she said. “Coming off the 200 backstroke there wasn’t a lot of disappointment. I gave it my all and swam my race and it just happened to not be top two, which I was OK with. My 100 back was the best it has been in six years, so I was ecstatic.”
That energy led to the 200 IM, but the trust in her race strategy led the way.
“I think just being able to separate it out into the four 50s that it is and not try to rush anything during it,” Bacon said. “I was really happy with my prelims swim and all throughout the day, I could feel myself wanting to put pressure on myself to perform but I kept reminding myself that the 200 IM is a fun event for me and I swim my best when I am happy. I just wanted to take all of that energy and pour it into the swim. No fear. No doubt – and see what could happen.”
Now, she is off to another international team, where she is one of the veterans.
“These trips are always so sad when they come to an end because you build such a tight bond with those who are on them, whether it is the men or the women. You just become one team together, and I love that the most,” Phoebe Bacon said. “It brings such a strong feeling of being in the right place, and I just want to ride that feeling the rest of my swim career.”
