University of Minnesota Athletics
Plummer Going to Rio
6/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Results
Clips: Star Tribune | Video Interview
David Plummer finished second in the 100-meter backstroke to earn a trip to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The 2008 University of Minnesota graduate is the first Golden Gopher swimmer in 52 years to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. He did so at his fourth Olympic Trials.
Plummer touched the wall in 52.28 seconds, just 0.02 behind winner Ryan Murphy in Tuesday night's Olympic Trials final in Omaha, Neb. Plummer led at the 50-meter mark and edged out Matt Grevers for the second spot.
The former Golden Gopher and 11-time All-American was the top-seeded swimmer going into the race. He finished Monday's semifinal in 52.12 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year and the fifth-fastest time ever.
The last Gopher men's swimmer to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics was Virgil Luken at the 1964 Games. Bronze medalist diver Craig Lincoln was the Gophers' last U.S. aquatics Olympian in 1972. The Minnesota men were most recently represented in the Olympics by Canadian Mike Brown in 2008. In all, 11 Gopher male swimmers and divers have been Olympians before Plummer.
The men's 100M backstroke was SO close. #SwimTrials16 https://t.co/q1YyLeDDTd
-- NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) June 29, 2016
