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The world will see the US-Canada rivalry on the ice and in other sporting events when the top athletes hit Milan Cortina for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The heat surrounding Summer Olympic athletes was just heating up when a two-time Canadian medalist decided to switch from Team Canada to Team USA on Monday.
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Josh Liendo (Canada), left, Kristof Milak (Hungary) and Ilya Kharun (Canada) in the men’s 100-metre butterfly medal ceremony at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics at the Paris La Défense Arena on August 3, 2024. (Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports)
Ilya Kharun, an Olympic swimmer who was born in Montreal and won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Games, announced he was joining the United States. He thanked Swimming Canada in a post on Instagram.
“John Atkinson and everyone who represents Swim Canada, thank you. I would not be the swimmer or person I am today without your support,” he captioned the post. “Thank you to my Canadian teammates. You helped me develop into the person I am today. You truly made me feel like I was part of a family. It has been an honor to carry the Maple Leaf flag and everyone in Canada will always have my support.”
Kharun said he has “always felt like an American” despite the huge support from Canada.
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Canada’s Ilya Kharun competes in the 400-meter individual medley during the FINA Swimming World Cup preliminaries on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at the Indiana University Natatorium. (Grace Hollars/USA TODAY Sports)
“I grew up in Las Vegas. I’ve lived in America my whole life. I’ve never represented a club team outside of USA Swimming,” he added. “I have a long career left as a swimmer, and I want to be based at home. And that home is in the United States.”
Kharun moved to Las Vegas when he was young as his parents, who were Ukrainian acrobats, pursued their careers with Cirque du Soleil.
The 20-year-old butterfly swimmer took home two bronze medals in Paris after winning a gold at the 2024 World Championships in Budapest. He also won a bronze medal last year in Singapore.
Kharun will have to wait a year before he can officially compete under the American flag as he must be released from Swimming Canada. He should have enough time to try to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Ilya Kharun of Team Canada is seen on the podium after winning bronze in the men’s 100m butterfly on day eight of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena on August 3, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
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Atkinson, the high performance director and national coach for Swimming Canada, told the CBC he was disappointed by Kharun’s decision. But he wished him the best in his next endeavor.
