The Minnesota swim and dive community will be glued to TVs Monday night when one of its own, David Plummer, goes for gold in the 100-meter backstroke final at the Rio Olympics.
Gophers swim and dive alumni are gathering at Sally's Bar and Grill for a viewing party, while many other supporters have plans to watch the race with family and neighbors at 8:38 p.m. CT on NBC primetime.
Plummer is 2008 graduate from the U and still trains on campus with the team's coaching staff. He is also the Wayzata boys' swim coach and an assistant for the Minnetonka girls' team.
"The entire state and entire swimming community here is behind him," said Haley Spencer, who was an assistant coach at Wayzata under Plummer last season and is also a Gophers alum. "I'm so excited for David and so, so proud of him."
Spencer listened to Sunday's semifinal race in her car and yelled with excitement when he finished with the second-fastest time (52.20) in his heat.
Gideon Louw, one of the coaches Plummer trains with at the U, will watch Monday's final with sweaty palms and an analytical eye. On Sunday night, Louw said he thought Plummer looked confident and had great tempo.
"He looks great in the water and very confident each time on the blocks," Louw said. "He looks confident and ready to go. … He just needs to keep doing what he's doing.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of excitement in the air."
