At the Paris 2024 Olympics Canadian sports fans have received another dose of Olympic exhilaration just as their euphoria over the women’s rugby sevens performance was settling. Taking home a bronze medal, Ilya Kharun breaks the Canadian male swimmers’ medal drought of a decade.
As the third Canadian swimmer to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, he will grab all the attention for an unexpected but well-deserved victory.
His debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics saw him give every ounce of his strength. As well as beating his personal best in the 200m butterfly event, he broke American dominance as well. A tournament known among players such as Michael Phillips, Tom Malchow, and Mel Steward now has a maple red mark. 
Even though Canada is highly regarded as a leading nation in the sport of swimming, as evidenced by the impressive performances of athletes like Summer McIntosh, the Canadian men’s swimming team has suffered a protracted period of underperformance for nearly a decade. They not only missed out on the podium in Rio 2016, but also struggled to even qualify for the finals in Tokyo.
But in Paris 2024, things were changed by a Montreal native, whose fiery and young spark took the lead from the start. Besides qualifying in the semifinals with the third fastest timing, he kept his ropes tight in the finals, trailing just behind the two leaders for 150 meters before they pulled away.
The Canadian record was set by him in 1:52.80. Born to two Ukrainian acrobats, he was able to make the most of his moment on the podium, giving Canada its 7th medal of the competition.
Khuran after the race spoke to CBC Olympics and said: “It’s just hard work, and I knew what I wanted. Of course, I wanted to win but at least we got something,” “I’m very happy about the time.”
Ilya who had the full support of his family, could not be grateful enough post his win. “Thank you so much for the support, it means a lot,” “Coming from someone who’s a late bloomer (in the) sport, it’s just so great to have this.”
From his debut silver at the 2022 World Swimming Championships (25m) to his fourth place in the 200m butterfly race at the World Aquatics Championships in 2023, the young champion has been on fire internationally.
Expectations High Now at Paris 2024
Canadian men’s swimming looks bright in the future, as evidenced by today’s performance. Now that he has yet to compete in the 100, all eyes are on him to repeat his magic once again.
Canadian men’s swimming looks bright in the future, as evidenced by today’s performance. Now that he has yet to compete in the 100, all eyes are on him to repeat his magic once again.
Moreover, he would be competing with Josh Liendo, an athlete also making strong gestures to take home a win in the 50 free and 100 fly at the Paris 2024 Olympics. With his top world ranking in the 100 m fly, he will surely add another feather in the cap of the Canadian palladium
