Oklahoma City native and Westmoore High School graduate David Plummer won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 meter backstroke final Monday night at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
His teammate Ryan Murphy gave the United States its sixth straight gold medal in the event with an Olympic record-setting time of 51. 97 seconds. China's Xu Jiayu captured the silver medal with a time of 52.31 seconds, and Plummer took the bronze in 52.4 seconds, just .03 seconds ahead of fourth-place finisher Mitch Larkin from Australia.
The 30-year-old Plummer was born in Norman. It's his first Olympics, and first medal.
Couldn't be happier to add to Team USA's medal count. My dream came true. pic.twitter.com/gi6OrZ0CY8
— David Plummer (@davideplummer) August 9, 2016
Plummer was born in Norman and graduated from Westmoore in 2004. He swam collegiately at the University of Minnesota, earning All-American honors.
Plummer trains with the New York Athletic Club, and finally qualified for the Olympics during the U.S. Team Trials in Omaha by finishing second in the 100 meter backstroke. He finished third in 2012 and sixth in 2008.
Plummer still lives in the Minneapolis area with his wife and two sons. He says he tried to retire in 2008, but stayed in the water because he had the free time as a part-time high school coach.
“I had a race at a sectional meet in 2009 that the year before I would’ve made the Olympic team. That was a big moment that I was like, ‘I need to keep doing this. I need to see what I have left’,” Plummer said. “And then again in 2012 just missing the Olympic team by about a tenth of a second was tough. And it was tough to say I still want to do this. I still want to take the risk again.”
Westmoore Athletic Director John Burruss told The Norman Transcript’s Mack Burke the reaction on social media was almost immediate after Monday night’s race:
“It’s so cool to see how everyone can share in all of this and the sense of community. It’s a great day to be a Jag and an American,” Burruss said. As far as Plummer’s notion that he could have been faster Monday night, Burruss said that’s just part of a competitor’s mindset. “There’s never a perfect game, or the perfect pitch, or the perfect touchdown or the perfect swim,” he said. "Any time you don’t get the pinnacle and you are a competitor, there will always be a little of that. But I think when he’s on that medal stand, it won’t matter what’s around his neck. Just to see those colors lifted and to know that he was a part of it. I think he’ll be just fine. “He’s 30 years old. Four years ago,he could have quit, but he didn’t and we’re all so proud. I think he can be very satisfied that he left it all in the pool and he was a great competitor.”
Oklahoma City's David Plummer just medaled at the Olympics! pic.twitter.com/NjRn1VMHdZ
— Mayor David Holt (@davidfholt) August 9, 2016
Congrats to @WestmooreStuco Westmoore Jaguar graduate David Plummer for winning a bronze medal yesterday! #gojags #TeamUSA
— OASC Oklahoma (@oascok) August 9, 2016
Just realized there's a very, very good chance I swam with David Plummer in OKC high school swim meets.
— Elizabeth🦒 (@oceana_roll) August 9, 2016
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