Ilya Kharun, of Canada, swims in the men's 200-metre butterfly final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France on July 31, 2024.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
It was timing, and a remarkable backstory, that made Ilya Kharun Canadian.
And on Wednesday, it was timing that made him an Olympic medalist.
The unheralded 19-year-old from Montreal won bronze in the 200-metre butterfly in a thrilling maelstrom of a race in which he outlasted several challengers to clinch the first medal for Canada’s men’s swim team in more than a decade.
The Canadian men had not won a medal at the pool since the 2012 London Olympics, a streak that weighed heavily on the program amid the spectacular success of the women’s team, which has captured 12 medals over the past two Summer Games.
“There’s really no words. I’m just really, really happy to be in this moment,” Kharun said after the race. “It’s just so amazing to show everyone what I can do.”
France’s Leon Marchand won gold in a time of 1 minute 51.21 seconds, while Hungary’s Kristof Milak, the world record holder, took silver in 1:51.75. Kharun finished in 1:52.80.
No Canadian swimmer has a backstory quite as distinctive as his. Less than two years ago, Kharun wasn’t even sure what country he was supposed to be representing.
He was born in Montreal – unplanned – when his mother suddenly went into labour.
His parents were acrobats from Ukraine, working in a travelling show. His dad was a strongman, often at the bottom of a human pyramid holding others up. His mom, when she wasn’t pregnant with Ilya, was at the top, flipping high into the air.
“They were on a travelling circus. So they were just going around different countries and they happened to be in Montreal because that’s where the circus was stationed. And I just happened to be born there,” Kharun said.
After he was born, the circus moved on, and so did the family. Kharun’s parents, world-class athletes back in Ukraine, were then recruited to perform for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.
But growing up in Nevada, Kharun’s parents didn’t put him in acrobatics.
“They tried to put me in the sport, but it was too expensive in Las Vegas. So they tried different sports and I just ended up in swimming.”
By the age of 10, he was setting state records. By his teens, he was emerging as a top U.S. talent and began to climb the rankings.
But in late 2022, he was suddenly told he couldn’t swim for the United States. Kharun existed in that grey area inhabited by Olympians who straddle more than one country, depending on where their families put down roots.
Someone had checked his paperwork and because he only held a Canadian passport, he couldn’t swim for the Americans.
So Kharun’s coach in Las Vegas called up Swimming Canada’s brass and told them the situation: he had a top swimmer who wanted to come north. Given the times Kharun was swimming internationally, Canada was more than happy to have him fall into its lap.
It was an unexpected gift to the program.
“I was like okay, nice,” Kharun said in an interview, recalling how he felt when Canada accepted him into its ranks.
But the transition was not without gaffes. When Kharun showed up at his first Canadian meet, he walked in the door wearing Team USA garb, not thinking much of it. That was just what he wore to meets.
Canadian officials caught one glimpse of the Stars and Stripes and moved fast, purchasing some red gear, including a baseball cap with the maple leaf on it from the souvenir stand, so he’d have the right colours on.
Since then, Kharun hasn’t looked back.
“It’s such a great honour. I’m really happy to represent Canada,” he said with the bronze around his neck.
It is Canada’s third medal at the pool, after Summer McIntosh won gold in the 400-metre individual medley and silver in the 400-metre freestyle.
For the men, it is their first medal at the pool since Ryan Cochrane won silver in the 1,500-metre freestyle, and Brent Hayden won bronze in the 100-metre freestyle in 2012.
Going into France, the Canadian men were intent on having a breakthrough, but weren’t sure who would be the one to shatter the streak.
Kharun doubts it will be the only medal for the men in Paris.
“I think we’re definitely going to have an uprise, and everything will be great,” he said.
Kharun said his parents’ background in acrobatics helped in swimming.
“We were always a hard-working family. Even if you did a good job or something, there’s always something that you need to correct. And that’s what they translated,” Kharun said.
“You can be happy with your result, but at the end, there’s always something to improve on to make yourself better.”
On Wednesday, Kharun’s own brand of acrobatics in the pool proved that point.