1 Olympian. 2 Sports.
The first American to qualify in Open Water and Pool events.
Meet Jordan Wilimovksy.
Jordan was born and raised in Malibu, CA where he grew up surfing and going to the beach. When he was 9 he asked his parents to enroll him in Jr. Lifeguards, a summer camp that teaches surf and life saving skills. The cutoff to be allowed to participate in the camp was a 100 yard freestyle swum faster than 1:50 seconds, but Jordan was unable finish the swim fast enough. Instead of doing Jr. Lifeguards that summer he joined his local YMCA swim team. He played waterpolo throughout middle school and the first two years of high school before focusing solely on swimming.
He went on to receive a swimming scholarship to Northwestern University where he majored in Political Science and International Studies. In 2015 with a gold medal at the World Championships in the 10k he qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games. The following summer at the Olympic Trials he finished 2nd in the 1500 to add another event to his schedule and become the first American to compete in the pool and open water at the same Olympic Games. Currently he trains in Santa Monica. He has qualified for the 2021 Olympic Games in the 10K, making him one of only three swimmers to have already qualified for the team. He hopes to possibly add the 800 and 1500 free as well.
From open water…
to the pool.
“Stick with it. Don't notice huge gains day by day, but keep working and you will see them over time. Have fun and just try to get better every day.”
— Jordan Wilimovksy