Ilya Kharun Explained

Ilya Kharun (born February 7, 2005) is a Canadian competitive swimmer who specializes in the freestyle and butterfly.^{[2] [3]} 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] [4]} The family would eventually move to Las Vegas where they would continue their entertainment careers with Cirque du Soleil.^[1] The family thought he would be eligible to compete for the United States in swimming, but as he only held a Canadian passport it was determined that he would have to compete for the nation where he was born.^{[1] [5]}

Career

Kharun made his international debut for Canada at the 2022 World Short Course championships.^[6] Kharun won two medals at the event, set two World Junior records and three Canadian records.^[1]

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

Personal bests

Long course (50-metre pool)

Event	Time[7]	Venue	Date	Notes	Ref
50 m freestyle	23.31	Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Centre, Fort Lauderdale	4 March 2023
100 m freestyle	51.61	Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Knoxville	14 Jan 2023
50 m butterfly	23.27	Marine Messe Fukuoka, Fukuoka	23 July 2023
100 m butterfly	50.45	France, Paris	3 August 2024
200 m butterfly	1.52.80	France, Paris	31 July 2024	NR

Short course (25-metre pool)

Event	Time	Venue	Date	Notes	Ref
50 m butterfly	22.28	Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne	18 December 2022	NR, WJR
100 m butterfly	49.03	Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne	18 December 2022	NR, WJR
200 m butterfly	1.50.86	Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne	15 December 2022	NR

Notes and References

1. News: Ilya Kharun Has a Canadian Premiere at Worlds to Flip For . Matthew De George . Swimming World Magazine . 18 December 2022 . 27 March 2023.
2. Web site: Ilya Kharun. www.swimming.ca/. Swimming Canada. 20 December 2022.
3. Web site: Ilya Kharun. www.eurosport.com/. Eurosport. 20 December 2022.
4. Web site: Cirque du Hooray: ASU celebrates swimmer Ilya Khjarun's participation with Team Canada in Paris. Bradshaw. Zach. 29 July 2024. www.cronkitenews.azpbs.org/. Cronkite News. 31 July 2024.
5. Web site: Ilya Kharun Removed From Junior Pan Pacs Team Among Citizenship Confusion. Keith. Braden. 2 August 2022. www.swimswam.com/. SwimSwam. 20 December 2022.
6. Web site: Ilya Kharun Among 17-member Canadian Team Announced for Short Course Worlds. Sutherland. James. 30 September 2022. www.swimswam.com/. SwimSwam. 20 December 2022.
7. Web site: Ilya Kharun profile . Swimming Canada . 4 December 2023.