Reno High grad wins Olympic medal, former coach reacts

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - A former Reno High standout is now an Olympic medal winner.

21-year-old Luke Hobson from Reno won a bronze medal in the men’s 200m freestyle swimming competition on Monday.

In an extraordinarily close finish, Hobson came in at 1:44.79. David Popovici from Romania won the gold medal with a time of 1:44.72, with Matthew Richards from Great Britain taking silver at 1:44.74.

“One of his gifts as an athlete is that he is great at keeping perspective. So, I know he will be happy but he is also going to be hungry for more,” said Sharon Weiss, the long-time head coach of the Lakeridge swim team who coached Hobson from the age of 8.

“He got the first bronze medal in all of swimming history from our area, so that is a really special thing,” Weiss added.

Hobson will still get another shot at a medal when he competes in the 4-by-200 freestyle relay on Tuesday.