Canadian swim star Ilya Kharun, who won 2 bronze medals at Paris Olympics, says he’ll now compete for U.S.
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Swimmer Ilya Kharun, one of Canada’s most promising athletes in the pool, has decided to compete for the United States.
The 20-year-old dual citizen, who won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024, shared the news Monday on social media.
Kharun, who was born in Montreal but grew up in Las Vegas, did not share many details as to why he’s making the move but said he was grateful for Swimming Canada and his teammates.
“John Atkinson and everyone representing Swimming Canada, thank you. I would not be the swimmer or person I am today without your support,” Kharun wrote in an Instagram post. “To my Canadian teammates, thank you. You helped me progress into the person I am today. It’s been an honour wearing the Maple Leaf.
In an interview with CBC Sports, high performance director and national coach John Atkinson said he was somewhat surprised and disappointed to see him go by the news.
And while it leaves a big hole in the Canadian men’s swimming roster, Atkinson thanked Kharun for all he did while competing for the country.
“Ilya has been on a journey with us since we welcomed him as part of the national team in 2022,” Atkinson said. “He’s a great person and a fantastic athlete. The historic things he has done for Canada in the pool can never be taken away.
“What he has done as part of our national team is part of our history. We wish him all the best and he remains a friend to our national team.”
WATCH | Kharun wins 50m butterfly:
Montreal’s Kharun wins 50m butterfly, Toronto’s Liendo claims bronze
Montreal’s Ilya Kharun finishes first in the men’s 50-metre butterfly final at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2025 stop in Toronto with a time of 21.80. Toronto’s Josh Liendo places third to capture the bronze medal.
Per World Aquatics rules, Kharun won’t be able to represent the United States until one year after his release from Swimming Canada. That period of eligibility will expire well before the next Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.
Kharun, who attends swimming powerhouse Arizona State University, has represented Canada since 2022, highlighted by bronze medals in the 100-metre and 200-metre butterfly events in Paris. He became the first Canadian male to earn two medals at a single Games since Curtis Myden in 1996.
Other highlights include gold in the 200m butterfly at the short-course world championships in Hungary in 2024, and bronze in the 100m fly at last year’s long-course world championships in Singapore. He holds the national records in the long-course and short-course 50m butterfly and 200m butterfly events.
Kharun, who turns 21 in February, also was part of the 4x100m men’s medley relay team that broke the national record twice at last summer’s world championships in Singapore to place fifth.
There has been a feeling in Swimming Canada circles that with Kharun, Josh Liendo and other key swimmers, the men’s relay team just might find a way onto the podium in L.A.
Kharun’s absence makes that a little more challenging, but Atkinson said the Canadian program has more depth than it used to.
Kharun, third from left, helped Canada win silver in the mixed 4x50m medley relay at the world championships in 2024. (Getty Images)
“One of the differences now compared to say 10 years, is that it’s not just about one or two swimmers. There are still swimmers like Blake Tierneys, Finlay Knox, Josh Liendo, Oliver Dawson and many others. We move forward with the group we have,” Atkinson said.
“The bigger issue is taking a closer look at how we support Olympic and Paralympic athletes across all sports through Sport Canada and partners like COC and CPC and how they support all of our programs.”
Kharun’s path to the Canadian national team was an unintentional one. Though he was born in Montreal, Kharun spent only the first few months of his life in there with his acrobat parents, who performed with Cirque du Soleil, before moving to Las Vegas.
There he competed with a local program in Nevada and was on the path to compete for the United States at the junior Pan Pacific championships in Hawaii in August 2022.
However, when Kharun went to register he had a Canadian passport on him and not an American passport.
“It happened really quick. I was like, alright, I’m a Canadian now,” he told CBC Sports in an interview in April 2023.
His last races as a Canadian on a global stage took place this past October as a part of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup tour that had three different stops. There he became the first Canadian to capture a World Cup triple crown after winning the 200m butterfly at all three.
