See all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.
Ilya Kharun took his international career to the next level in 2024, winning his first long-course senior international medals and establishing himself as a threat from the 50 to 200 butterfly on the global stage.
After a successful freshman campaign at Arizona State, winning the NCAA title in the 200 butterfly and helping the Sun Devils to the program’s first NCAA title, Kharun turned his attention to long-course and the Olympic summer. Kharun had represented Canada on the international stage before. Still, Paris marked his debut Olympic Games, and he was looking to move up from his fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly and ninth in the 200 butterfly at the 2023 World Championships.
The men’s 200 butterfly was billed as a showdown between Kristof Milak, the world record holder and defending Olympic champion, and Leon Marchand, the 2023 world champion and home crowd favorite. The final in Paris lived up to that, but behind the battle for gold, Kharun was unshakeable in his first Olympic final. He was third for the entire race, calmly extending his lead for the final spot on the podium through the back half of the race.
Kharun was one of three men to split sub-30 seconds on the final 50 meters, and he used that closing speed to get his hands on the wall for bronze and his first medal at a long-course senior international meet on the sport’s biggest stage. Not only was it Kharun’s first major medal, it was the first Olympic medal earned by a Canadian man since 2012. He clocked 1:52.80, finishing third in a Canadian record time and becoming the seventh-fastest performer in history.
The third step of the men’s 200 butterfly podium seemed wide open coming into the meet. It was the opposite in the 100 butterfly—the event’s best swimmers had been firing warning shots throughout the year as six of the eight fastest performers in history were on the Paris entry lists. Kharun entered as the 13th seed and survived a brutal semifinal round by making the final as the sixth seed.
The young Canadian turned seventh in the Olympic final. But he flew home, splitting 26.72 over the closing 50 meters and getting his hands on the wall for bronze by a tenth. Kharun clocked 50.45, his third lifetime best of the Games, as he went from 50.71 in prelims to 50.68 in the semifinals and finally his bronze-medal effort.
“This is what I wanted,” Kharun told Team Canada, “but I knew [in] the 100 fly, the competition was so crazy that the top three was just a dream for the 100 fly. I’m just so glad I finally got it. I was in disbelief when I touched the wall, and it’s just so great.”
Like his 200 butterfly medal, his 100 butterfly medal also helped make Canadian Olympic history. He touched behind his teammate Josh Liendo’s silver-medal effort (49.99), marking Canada’s first double podium at a Summer Games since 1976. Further, no Canadian man had medaled in the 100 butterfly since 1972. Kharun shared that he and Liendo “spoke about how crazy it would be [if] me and him both got on the podium. I’m so glad we spoke it into existence. It’s such a great feeling.”
Kharun’s surprise medals at the Olympics announced that the teenager had reached the next level in the sport. He further confirmed that at the 2024 Short Course World Championships in Budapest. The 2022 edition of the meet marked Kharun’s first time representing Canada, and his performance in Budapest highlighted how much improvement he’s made in the past two years.
His meet peaked in the 200 butterfly—he earned his first world title by equaling Daiya Seto’s championship record 1:48.24, tying him for the second-fastest performance of all time. The swim set Americas, Commonwealth, and Canadian records as he helped Canada sweep the 200 butterfly in Budapest (Summer McIntosh won the women’s race one event before). Finally, Kharun added a silver and national record in the 50 butterfly (21.67) and helped Canada medal in three relays; he left Budapest with five medals in total.
Honorable Mentions:
- Josh Liendo: Liendo had an excellent performance in Paris at his second Olympic Games. His first individual event did not go as planned—he missed out on the final of the men’s 100 freestyle, but he rebounded in style. He became just the fifth man to break 50 seconds in the 100 butterfly, setting a Canadian record as he earned silver in a loaded final for his first Olympic medal. His time led to a 2-3 finish in the event for Canada, with him and Kharun standing on the podium together. Liendo was scratched into the men’s 50 freestyle final and made the most of the opportunity; he finished fourth in 21.58, just two-hundredths off the podium. Liendo was integral to Canada’s relays, swimming on the nation’s fifth-place men’s 4×100 medley and sixth-place men’s 4×100 freestyle relays. Outside of the long-course pool, Liendo put on a dominant display at the 2024 Men’s NCAA Championships, sweeping his individual events by winning the 50 free (18.07), 100 fly (43.07), and 100 free (40.20). He also helped the Gators defend their 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay titles, with an NCAA record (1:20.15) in the former.
- Finlay Knox: At the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Finlay Knox stunned the field by winning the 200 IM out of lane 7. The swim earned Knox the first long-course World Championships gold by a Canadian man since Brent Hayden in 2007. It’s the sixth world title won by a Canadian man and the second in the 200 IM. Knox earned his title in a Canadian record 1:56.64, which he then lowered to 1:56.07 at the Canadian Olympic Trials as he booked his ticket to Paris in his first individual event. Knox ultimately finished 8th in the 200 IM and, like Liendo, helped Canada to a fifth-place finish in the men’s 4×100 medley relay and sixth in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay. He won 200 IM bronze at the 2024 Short Coruse World Championships, setting a Canadian record of 1:50.90 to earn his place on the podium.
SwimSwam is smarter than whomever choose the male swimmer of the year in canada
I’m not convinced on this one
For me it’s still Liendo over Kharun. Maybe I’m underweighting short course worlds
To me feels a little bit like trying to be different from the last three years and give it to someone else
sub 50 is a massive milestone . Similar to sub 4 mins in W 400 free imo
The power of Dr.Pepper
Cool