Nick Thoman wins silver in 100 backstroke

LONDON -- So far today I've watched two young men named Nick who live in North Carolina in the Olympics, and both have ultimately won medals.

Diver Nick McCrory was the first one (read the blog excerpt just below this one for that story). And now Nick Thoman -- the backstroke specialist who trains at Charlotte's SwimMAC Carolina -- won a silver medal in the 100 back.

Thoman, in fact, was part of the most successful swim event for the U.S. so far. His teammate Matt Grevers was the only person to beat him, winning gold (it went the same way in Omaha at the U.S. Trials). So the U.S. went 1-2 in the event, which it had not yet done in these Olympics.

Thoman was tied for third at the halfway point but then sped into second with a strong back half of the race. He wasn't too close to catching Grevers -- Grevers had about a half-body length on the field and swam the race in 52.16 seconds, while Thoman finished in 52.92.

Thoman was ecstatic after the race, shaking his fist exultantly and then swimming over three lanes to hug Grevers and exchange a high five.

U.S. swimmer Nick Thoman is seen after the men's 100m backstroke heats swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Monday in London. (AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINIFABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/GettyImages)