Rhyan White Caps Alabama’s Week in the Pool at the Tokyo Games with a Silver Medal
8/1/2021 2:35:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Rhyan White earned a medal as part of the U.S. 400 medley relay and finished fourth in both the 100 and 200 backstroke while Crimson Tide alum Kristian Gkolomeev finaled in the 50 freestyle
TOKYO – Led by Rhyan White's outstanding showing in the backstrokes, the Alabama swimming contingent enjoyed a great week at the Tokyo Olympics over the first half of the Games.
White earned a silver medal on the last day of the swimming events as part of the United States' 400 medley relay after swimming the backstroke leg in the heats. It is the highest Olympic finish by a member of the women's Alabama swimming and diving program.
She also finished fourth in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke during the Tokyo Games, totaling seven swims in all after swimming in the heats, semifinals and finals of two backstroke events and the heats of the 400 medley relay in the leadoff spot.
NCAA Champion Kalia Antoniou (Cyprus) finished 27th in the 50-meter freestyle and 29th in the 100-meter freestyle. Diana Petkova (Bulgaria) finished 25th in the 200-meter individual medley and 34th in the 100-meter breaststroke.
White, Antoniou and Petkova are all headed back to Tuscaloosa this fall with White and Antoniou set for their fourth season with the Tide, while Petkova is diving in for her second year at the Capstone.
Kristian Gkolomeev (Greece) led the way in the pool for the Crimson Tide alumni contingent. The three-time Olympian and three-time NCAA champion finaled in the 50-meter freestyle, taking fifth overall in the "splash and dash."
Anton McKee (Iceland), swimming at this third Olympiad, took 24th in the 200-meter breaststroke, while Leonie Kullman, in her second Olympics, finished 18th in the 400-meter freestyle and sixth as part of Germany's 800-meter freestyle relay. Abbas Qali (Kuwait), also at his second Olympiad, finished 48th in the 100-meter butterfly.
The Olympics cap an extraordinary year for Alabama swimming and diving. The Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Year, White became the first member of the Alabama women's program to earn a place on the USA Olympic Swimming Team, and the first to win an event at the USA Olympic Trials (200-meter backstroke).
On the team front, the Tide women took fifth at the 2021 NCAA Championships, matching the highest finish in school history, while the men took 15th, marking the squads seventh consecutive top-15 finish.
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