'Bob the Cap Catcher' Stole the Show During Olympic Swimming Event

What a performance.

Bob the Cap Catcher / Screenshot courtesy of the NBC Olympics X account

One of the many enjoyable aspects of every Olympic games is learning about jobs surrounding the events you never would have thought existed. Like, for example, Bob the Cap Catcher.

On Sunday morning, swimming preliminaries were held at La Defense Arena. The final women's 100m breaststroke was delayed because one prior swimmer's cap had fallen off and sunk to the bottom of the pool. Which then begs a question few outside the swimming game have considered— what happens when a cap falls off in the middle of the pool at the Olympics, the biggest stage possible for the sport?

It turns out the swimmers turn to a "cap catcher" whose job is to dive in between races and retrieve the caps. So it was that Bob the Cap Catcher ended up on NBC's Olympics broadcast and became a viral sensation.

Who do you call when a swim cap falls in the pool?

"BOB THE CAP CATCHER." 😂#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/eN5ycGkKjw

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024

He even gave a tip of the cap at the end. What a performance.

The Olympics unearth unexpected heroes everywhere. Paris, clearly, is no different.