The 27-year-old was in fourth place as she headed into the final 100 meters of the race, but her freestyle kick, kicked her into the third spot with a 4:34.90 time-- earning her the bronze medal.
Prior to this event she had placed in the World's Aquatic Championship earning silver in 2019 for her 200 meter butterfly and Gold in 2017 for her 4x200 meter freestyle relay, but at the 2016 Olympics in Rio she placed 7th for the 200 meter butterfly, according to her biography.
Her family and friends watched from Spring Grove Middle School in York, with bated breath as she swam into a podium position over the weekend.
“That means the world to me,” Hali’s grandmother Bonna Krout told abc27. “She’s just a super kid, I should say young woman. It’s just been exciting to watch her grow into the person she is today.”
The watch party quickly turned into a celebration.
Flickinger will compete in the 200 meter butterfly on Tuesday.
Her full schedule for the Tokyo Olympics is available on Olympics.com
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