Ilya Kharun

Ilya Kharun
Personal information
National team
Born (2005-02-07) February 7, 2005
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesButterfly
ClubSandpipers of Nevada[1]
College teamArizona State Sun Devils
CoachHerbie Behm
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Canada
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2024 Paris100 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place2024 Paris200 m butterfly
World Championships (LC)
Bronze medal – third place2025 Singapore100 m butterfly
World Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place2024 Budapest200 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place2022 Melbourne100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place2024 Budapest50 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place2024 Budapest4x50 m mixed medley
Silver medal – second place2024 Budapest4x50 m mixed freestyle
Bronze medal – third place2022 Melbourne4×50 m mixed medley
Bronze medal – third place2024 Budapest4x100 m mixed medley

Ilya Kharun (born February 7, 2005) is a Canadian and American competitive swimmer who specializes in the butterfly. He won bronze medals in the 100 m and 200 m butterfly at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, improving his Canadian national record in the process.

Early life

Kharun was born in Montreal in 2005 as his Ukrainian parents were acrobats who performed there in Cirque du Soleil.[1][2] The family would eventually move to Las Vegas where they would continue their entertainment careers with Cirque du Soleil.[1]

Career

In May 2022, Kharun was named to the US' team for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships. However, he was removed from the team in August, after USA Swimming was notified that he was not a US Citizen. Kharun's family thought he would be eligible to represent the US, but since he only held a Canadian passport he was required to compete for the nation where he was born.[3]

Kharun made his international debut for Canada at the 2022 World Short Course championships.[4] Kharun won two medals at the event, set two World Junior records and three Canadian records.[1]

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Kharun won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m butterfly.

On January 26, 2026, Kharun announced on Instagram he would be switching national allegiances and begin competing for the United States where he studies.[5] Under World Aquatics rules, Kharun will not be able to represent the United States until one year after his release from Swimming Canada, enough time to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics.[6]

Personal bests

Long course (50-metre pool)

Event Time[7] Venue Date Notes Ref
50 m butterfly 22.59 2026 Toyota National Championships July 29, 2026
100 m butterfly 50.05 2026 Toyota National Championships August 2, 2026
200 m butterfly 1:52.80 Paris, France July 31, 2024 NR

Short course (25-metre pool)

Event Time[7] Venue Date Notes Ref
50 m butterfly 21.67 Danube Arena, Budapest December 11, 2024 NR, AM
100 m butterfly 48.35 Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, Toronto October 23, 2025
200 m butterfly 1:48.24 Danube Arena, Budapest December 12, 2024 NR, AM, CR

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Matthew De George (December 18, 2022). "Ilya Kharun Has a Canadian Premiere at Worlds to Flip For". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  2. ↑ Bradshaw, Zach (July 29, 2024). "Cirque du Hooray: ASU celebrates swimmer Ilya Khjarun's participation with Team Canada in Paris". Cronkite News. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  3. ↑ Keith, Braden (August 2, 2022). "Ilya Kharun Removed From Junior Pan Pacs Team Among Citizenship Confusion". SwimSwam. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ Sutherland, James (September 30, 2022). "Ilya Kharun Among 17-member Canadian Team Announced for Short Course Worlds". SwimSwam. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Olympic medallist swimmer Ilya Kharun switches from Canada to United States". Toronto Star. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Heroux, Devin. "Canadian swim star Ilya Kharun, who won 2 bronze medals at Paris Olympics, says he'll now compete for U.S." CBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Ilya Kharun profile". Swimming Canada. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
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