In his swimming career, Ilya Kharun proudly represented Canada and competed in several major events. Indeed, he has won multiple medals for the country, including the latest coming at the Paris Olympics (two bronze) and at the Singapore World Championships (one bronze.) However, recently, Kharun has made a major decision regarding his international representation.

“Hey everyone, I’ve got big news. I’m changing my international representation from Canada to USA,” the Olympic medalist said in a lengthy Instagram post, confirming his future to compete for his new country. Well, the part where he represented Team Canada was quite accidental.

In 2022, he was removed from the US junior national team roster for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in August and the Open Water World Junior Championships in September. The reason? At that time, it was discovered that he only held a Canadian passport, which forced him to compete for his birth nation. However, he was glad that he did.

“First off, I’d like to thank everyone in Canada. It’s been incredible to travel the world representing Canada and while competing with the top Canadian athletes. John Atkinson and everyone representing Swim Canada, thank you. I would not be the swimmer or person am today without your support,” he did a candid reflection.

“To my Canadian teammates, thank you. You helped me progress into the person I am today. You guys really made me feel like I was part of a family. It’s been an honor wearing the Maple Leaf flag and everyone in Canada will always have my support.” Born in Montreal to Ukrainian parents who performed with Cirque du Soleil, his family relocated to Las Vegas when he was an infant. And since then, he has trained exclusively with American club teams.

“Despite the incredible support I’ve received from Canada, I’ve always felt like an American,” he added. “I grew up in Las Vegas. I’ve lived in America my whole life. I’ve never represented a club team outside of USA Swimming. I’ve got a long career left as a swimmer and I’d like to be based at home. And that home is in the USA.”

However, as per World Aquatics’ rules, the 20-year-old swimmer now has to wait for a year to compete in events for Team USA. So, he will be perfectly ready for the upcoming LA Olympics in 2028.

Following his official announcement, High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson said, “He’s a great person and a fantastic athlete. The historic things he has done for Canada in the pool can never be taken away. What he has done as part of our national team is part of our history. We wish him all the best and he remains a friend to our national team.”

Well, like Kharun, there are more athletes who have changed their international representation to the US.

Ilya Kharun isn’t alone in this list

Switching nationalities isn’t just a walk in the park; this requires the athletes to make a tough call. And in swimming, there have been many who have sought to compete for Team USA, like Ilya Kharun.

Olympic gold medalist Darian Townsend, who competed for South Africa, became a US citizen after nearly a decade of living in the country, allowing him to secure a spot on the highly competitive American team. Representing Team USA, he went on to secure five World Championship medals (2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze), and two Pan American Games medals (1 silver and 1 bronze).

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“It doesn’t feel weird anymore. Once I started calling South Africa a place to visit and started calling the U.S. home, I knew it was the right choice,” Townsend said, when he finally became a US citizen in 2014.

Similarly, Russian backstroke legend Arkady Vyatchanin sought US citizenship following various complications. “After a failed attempt to represent Serbia (after 2013), the only remaining option was to wait for a time when I could apply for U.S. citizenship, which subsequently allowed me to change my sport nationality to the United States,” he said.

However, in 2017, he was able to get citizenship, and a year later, Vyatchanin decided to retire and try his luck in coaching. These transitions show nothing but the athletes wanting to keep competing, but in the bright colors of the Stars and Stripes.