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Who is Bob the Cap Catcher and Why is He a Viral Olympics Star?
A hero in a floral speedo: Bob the Cap Catcher swam his way into the hearts of millions over the weekend.
He was a hero for the ages.
Wearing nothing but a colorful floral speedo, Bob the Cap Catcher, swam his way into the hearts of millions Sunday at Paris’ La Defense Arena when he dove into the pool after an Olympic preliminary race to retrieve a lost swim cap.
The unknown mystery man, dubbed “Bob the Cap Catcher” by NBC announcers, heroically saved the day after swimmers noticed the lost swim cap at the bottom of the pool.
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“We can’t have that at the bottom of the pool,” swimming analyst Amy Van Dyken remarked, according to NBC News. “We’re going to have to have someone dive in and go get it.”
That someone turned out to be Bob the Cap Catcher, a beloved everyman who suddenly appeared wearing nothing but the speedo and confidently approached the pool as the crowd cheered—and a few catcalled.
The man—who The Associated Press identified as a lifeguard, according to TODAY—then expertly dove into the pool, swam down and retrieved the cap, which belonged to Team USA’s Emma Weber.
It’s not uncommon for swimmers to wear more than one swim cap in case they lose one mid-race, as Weber did during a 100-meter breaststroke preliminary race.
After grabbing the cap from the bottom of the pool, “Bob” emerged and triumphantly waved the cap in the air as the audience cheered before he calmly strode away.
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“Does that guy get a name?” commentator Jason Knapp asked. “The Cap Catcher?”
“I think that's what we’re going to call him — Bob, the Cap Catcher! I like that,” Van Dyken replied.
While he may not have done it for the glory, that has quickly become the result now that Bob the Cap Catcher has become a viral Olympics star.
“Vive le Bob,” NBC Sports captioned a video clip on X of his confident rescue mission.
"He’s an icon he’s a legend he is the moment," another X user wrote, prompting the NBC Olympics account to reply that he had “Main character energy.”
“Bob the Cap Catcher bringing sexy back to the Olympics!” another user wrote alongside three fire emojis.
The viral moment brought some comedy to the day at the pool, which also saw four members of Team USA take home a medal.
Torri Huske earned the gold in the 100-meter butterfly race, just ahead of teammate Gretchen Walsh, who took home silver. Nic Fink—who impressively juggles his swimming responsibilities with a full-time job as an engineer—earned the silver in the 100-meter breaststroke, while Carson Foster secured the bronze medal in the 400m individual medley.
Swimming will continue this week and one can only hope that one of those swimmers may just lose their cap.
