In this GMM podcast episode, Hunter Armstrong opens up about the year after Paris, and it’s not the story most people expect.
Fresh off Olympic gold and silver in 2024, Hunter assumed momentum would carry him forward. Instead, he lost his top sponsor. The financial runway tightened. Training didn’t get cheaper. And 2025 became a grind.
At this point in swimming history, Olympic gold does not equal financial security. Now Hunter’s made a decision that’s making headlines on SwimSwam.
Hunter will compete at the upcoming Enhanced Games, but he’s doing so clean. To be clear, Hunter will not be geared-up on performance-enhancing drugs. He is remaining in the registered testing pool, and is relying on full transparency and strict compliance with the letter of World Aquatics’ eligibility regulations.
Prize money from the Enhanced Games could help fund his training through the LA 2028 Olympic cycle. That’s Hunter’s calculus, but here’s the tension.
Hunter does not have absolute clarity on how World Aquatics will interpret its rules and regulations. He’s read them. He believes participation without doping keeps him eligible, yet the federation could view participation itself as grounds for sanction.
In this conversation, Hunter walks us through:
- The financial reality of life after Olympic gold
- The shock of losing sponsorship
- What 2025 looked like behind the scenes
- Why he believes competing clean matters
- How he’s protecting his eligibility
- And what happens if World Aquatics disagrees
If I missed any questions in the podcast, please drop them in the comments.
SEE THE FULL PODCAST TRANSCRIPT HERE.
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Many thanks to Swimoutlet.com for their 14 year partnership and support of this swimming news and media.
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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
Swimswam commenters the softest people to exist
this may open up the gates for more to join EG if they don’t have to dope and they can compete.
My scepticism has me thinking. WA might allow him to compete… But that doesn’t mean USA Swimming will let him compete or even be named to a team.
Tho I get his reasons, re: Financials.
It is strange that he knows nothing about body suits and has never watched an Olympics. Does World Championships fall under that list too.
You’d think every swimmer has watched a summer Olympics… How else do they gain aspirations to compete in one?
Can he and his management read the rules?
It’s called “contamination.”
Coaching, training with, or competing against banned athletes are all punishable by WADA.
He will likely be sanctioned, and rightfully so.
Other athletes have had their whole program changed when a coach is banned. Why should he get to train in a doped program?
I’m not positive that training with and competing against banned individuals is against WADA rules. It’s definitely not against the rules if those individuals have not been formally notified of their bans, and I would guess that WADA attorneys are smart enough to know to not ban them until they have to (aka when they try to return to competition).
Bros self appointing himself to be the placebo
This seems like a one time gimmick event, not serious sport – aside from the one time novelty (like leaping over a canyon on a motorcycle) hard to see this as a sustainable sporting event that will be financially sustainable. Drugs, performance suits, why not also allow fins and/or paddles.
Oh my gosh. It looks like World Aquatics has been running monopoly all these years and they don’t wanna let ahold of the bone. Pathetic, why will someone ban an athlete that is completely clean and can prove his results. Monopoly, monopoly. Politics will always be involved and this is soooooo obvious.
LA 2028 is gonna be a real change of the guard in the swimming world for the US. The rest of the world is ready while everyone here is struggling to get on their feet. I hope marketing and sponsorships looks better in the future!