Peoria Standard

US Rep. Darin LaHood congratulated a 16th Congressional District native on her accomplishments at the Paris Olympics, saying, "Congrats to Germantown Hills and #IL16 native Anna Peplowski on bringing home the Silver Medal at the Olympics in the Women’s 4x200 Freestyle!" He made the statement in an Aug. 1 Facebook post.

"Congrats to Germantown Hills and #IL16 native Anna Peplowski on bringing home the Silver Medal at the Olympics in the Women's 4x200 Freestyle," said LaHood, U.S. Representative of Illinois's 16th congressional district (R), according to Facebook. "Making all of Illinois and our country proud!"

According to his Facebook post, LaHood shared a link to a 25 News report congratulating Metamora native Anna Peplowski and Team USA for winning the silver medal in the Women’s 4x200 freestyle preliminary race to qualify for finals. Peplowski was the leadoff swimmer in the preliminary.

Screenshot of US Rep. Darin LaHood's Aug 1 Facebook post | US Rep. Darin LaHood's Facebook page

25 News reported that in the finals, Team USA—Clair Weinstein, Katie Ledecky, Erin Gemmell, and Paige Madden—won silver with a time of 7:40.86. Australia won the gold.

Peplowski is the 21-year-old daughter of Doug and Leslie Peplowski and serves as an assistant coach at Indiana University, according to her Team USA biography. She is the 2024 Big Ten Team Champion, 2023 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships, and an eight-time All-American swimmer. The 2024 Olympics marks Anna’s first Olympic experience.

Peplowski’s Olympic win comes just two weeks after she was named "IU Athlete of the Year for 2023-24," according to the Indiana Daily Student, which cited a news release from the Indiana University Athletic Department. The Daily Student reported that in her junior season, Peplowski won a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle and a bronze in the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships while earning seven All-American honors.

Congressman LaHood has represented Illinois since 2015, initially serving in the 18th Congressional District from 2015-2023; following redistricting, he now represents constituents of the 16th District. His political experience includes four years in the state senate from 2011-2015. He also served as a state and federal prosecutor for more than nine years and worked for the US Department of Justice as an Assistant US Attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LaHood holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loras College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois-Chicago John Marshall Law School. He resides with his wife in Peoria, according to his official biography.