When Australia’s Kaylee McKeown won back-to-back gold medals in the 100-meter backstroke, one swimmer enjoyed her first Olympic medal. America’s own Katharine Berkoff followed her father, David Berkoff’s path, and won a bronze medal. With a time of 57.98 seconds, she lost the gold by 0.65 seconds to McKeown, who finished in 57.33 seconds. Yet Katharine’s swimming genes shone brightly, with her father already a household name in the Games.

The Missoula native and Hellgate High alum’s ambitions for a medal solidified after her World Championships performance last year. But more than that, her father inspired her throughout the journey.

Moreover, she was inspired by her father, David, and mentioned after the race, “He was my first inspiration. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. As soon as I figured out what he had done, I decided I wanted to do the same thing. It’s just been really special to follow in his footsteps.” So, let’s dive deeper to know Katharine Berkoff’s journey to the top.

Meet Katharine Berkoff, who achieved a similar victory to her dad, David

Since she made it to the Olympic team for the first time in her career for Paris, Katharine eyed the gold medal from the start. But make no mistake about it. She had been knocking on the doors of the backstroke competition for some time now. Before this, she had 30 All-America finishes and five NCAA Championships with North Carolina State. On top of that, she is the daughter of David Berkoff, who won four Olympic medals in his career, including two gold.

Notably, her father became America’s supremo swimmer for years. David Berkoff also specialized in backstroke and competed at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. During the 1988 Olympics, David created three world records in the process – two for the qualifiers and one for the heats. Yet, he only mustered a silver medal in the final. Another fascinating point to note is Katharina Berkoff’s underwater. After each turn, she stays underwater for longer than most racers, as this is an approach her father took. David created a famous move and earned the moniker “Berkoff Blastoff”, swimming as far as he could after turns. Therefore, he had an incredible influence on her career.

Similar to Katharina, David earned a bronze for the US at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Katharine’s bronze medal comes exactly after 32 years highlighting coincidence like no other.

Looking at her college career, she steadily rose to the top. She stood out for North Carolina State University for the last five years. Just 23, Berkoff finished behind Regan Smith, America’s top backstroke swimmer. After the race, she stood on the podium and couldn’t contain her happiness.

According to Team USA, she stated, “I knew it was going to be tough, and I knew I had a chance, but that was the ultimate goal. But I am really happy to be here and I’m so grateful to get another medal for Team USA. It means so much. It’s just part of the dream in life … I’m really grateful for this.” And yes, her inspiration came from her dad!

David is Berkoff’s biggest cheerleader

When you grow to the top, you wish to have a cheerleader to keep up your motivation. To keep pulling you up when you go down! David Berkoff was there for her daughter during these times. According to Wralsportsfan, Katharine once stated, “As soon as I figured out that he was an Olympian, gold medalist, world record holder, I decided I wanted to do all those things, too.”

While mirroring his daughter’s reflections, David stated, “When she was about 4 years old, she asked me if she could be on the swim team and I said, ‘not until you can get across the pool by yourself.” Furthermore, he claimed that David never influenced his daughter to emulate him, showcasing a fabulous parenting model.

Thus, a daughter and father created history to steal the limelight. Hopefully, she will grab another medal for the relay events.