In Paris’ La Defense Arena, full of Olympic swimmers, there was one task that not even the fastest in the world could complete: diving to collect a stray swimming cap on the floor of the pool.
“This situation is common at swimming competitions,” a Paris 2024 spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “As the lifeguards are the only people wearing swimwear, apart from the athletes, a request may be made to fetch an item at the bottom of the pool prior to the next race. In this case, the request was made to the lifeguard closest to the item.”
With a hero’s spirit and a brightly colored floral Speedo, one man was up to the challenge. Dubbed “Bob the Cap Catcher” by NBC commentator Jason Knapp and swimming analyst Amy Van Dyken, the man managed to cut the tension of the competition when he stripped to his tiny and bright blue briefs.
U.S. swimmer Emma Weber had lost her cap in the pool before one of the women’s 100-meter breaststroke heats, leaving a need for someone to fish it out. Cheered on by a crowd of fans, the pool worker dove into the pool to retrieve Weber’s cap.
Perhaps the most charming thing about the event on Sunday was how confidently and unabashedly the nameless hero emerged from the wings of the arena to fulfill a seemingly harmless, no-big-deal task.
Since then, the man has remained unidentified, but his likeness has been a massive hit on all platforms of social media, taking some of the Olympic glory for himself.
He’ll remain a mystery, as he declined to allow his name to be reported, but he answers one of those incessant questions in the back of everyone’s mind: What would the Olympics look like if the average Joe – or in this case, Bob – was on the same stage as the best in the world?
On Sunday, “Bob the Cap Catcher” gave us a taste of it.
