Ilya Kharun, a talented swimmer from Canada, has announced his decision to represent the United States in future competitions.
The 20-year-old, who holds dual citizenship and secured two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, made this announcement via social media on Monday.
Born in Montreal and raised in Las Vegas, Kharun did not provide extensive reasons for his choice but expressed his appreciation for Swimming Canada and his fellow teammates.
“Thank you to John Atkinson and everyone involved with Swimming Canada. Your support has shaped me into the swimmer and person I am today,” Kharun stated in an Instagram message. “To my teammates from Canada, I am grateful. You have contributed significantly to my growth. It has been a privilege to wear the Maple Leaf.
In a conversation with CBC Sports, John Atkinson, the high-performance director and national coach, expressed his surprise and disappointment regarding Kharun’s decision.
While his departure creates a significant gap in the Canadian men’s swimming lineup, Atkinson thanked Kharun for his contributions during his time representing the country.
“Ilya has been part of our journey since he joined the national team in 2022,” Atkinson remarked. “He is an exceptional individual and a remarkable athlete. His achievements for Canada in the pool are irreplaceable.
“His contributions to our national team are now a part of our legacy. We wish him all the best and he will always be a friend of the national team.”
According to World Aquatics regulations, Kharun will not be eligible to compete for the United States until one year has passed since his departure from Swimming Canada. This eligibility period will conclude well in advance of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Kharun, who currently attends Arizona State University, has represented Canada since 2022, with notable achievements including bronze medals in the 100-metre and 200-metre butterfly events in Paris. He made history as the first Canadian male to win two medals at a single Olympics since Curtis Myden in 1996.
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His accomplishments also include a gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the short-course world championships held in Hungary in 2024, and a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly at last year’s long-course world championships in Singapore. He holds national records in both long-course and short-course for the 50m butterfly and 200m butterfly events.
Kharun, who will celebrate his 21st birthday in February, was also part of the 4x100m men’s medley relay team that set the national record twice at last summer’s world championships in Singapore, finishing in fifth place.
There has been optimism within Swimming Canada that with Kharun, Josh Liendo, and other prominent swimmers, the men’s relay team could potentially secure a podium finish in Los Angeles.
Though Kharun’s departure complicates that goal, Atkinson noted that the Canadian program has greater depth than in previous years.
Kharun, third from left, contributed to Canada’s silver medal win in the mixed 4x50m medley relay during the 2024 world championships. (Getty Images)
“A significant change compared to a decade ago is that our success is not reliant on just one or two swimmers. We still have talents like Blake Tierneys, Finlay Knox, Josh Liendo, Oliver Dawson, and many more. We will progress with the group we have,” Atkinson remarked.
“The larger concern is reassessing how we support Olympic and Paralympic athletes across various sports through Sport Canada and partners like COC and CPC, and how they can aid all our programs.”
Kharun’s journey to joining the Canadian national team was unexpected. Although born in Montreal, he spent only the initial months of his life there with his acrobat parents, who worked with Cirque du Soleil, before relocating to Las Vegas.
In Nevada, he was part of a local swimming program and was on track to represent the United States at the junior Pan Pacific championships in Hawaii in August 2022.
However, when it came time to register, he had a Canadian passport instead of an American one.
“It all happened very quickly. I thought, okay, I’m a Canadian now,” he told CBC Sports in an interview in April 2023.
His final races as a Canadian occurred last October during the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup tour, where he made history as the first Canadian to achieve a World Cup triple crown by winning the 200m butterfly at all three events.