MISSOULA — Katharine Berkoff has cemented herself as worthy of the Olympic rings.
The Missoula native will compete in the Olympics for the first time on July 29-30 in Paris. She will swim in the 100-meter backstroke on the world stage after failing to qualify in her previous Olympic Trials
“I knew when I hit the wall that I had made it,” she said in a news conference. “I was so relieved just because this has been such a lifelong dream. Missing it by a little bit three years ago was really hard and I definitely learned a lot from it. I think I was a little scared of reliving emotions like that.”
Berkoff, a 2019 Missoula Hellgate grad, put herself in position to qualify for the Olympics by taking second place at the Trials with a time of 57.91 seconds in the finals. Regan Smith won with a world record of 57.13 seconds.
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Berkoff, who has also competed for the Missoula Aquatic Club, swam the semifinals in 57.83 seconds to become the second American woman ever to go under 58 seconds in the event. It hit her that she made the team when she went backstage after the finals to meet her coach, friends, and family.
