Penny Oleksiak

Penny Oleksiak is a Canadian female swimmer born on 13th June 2000. She is a native of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Penny specializes in Freestyle and represents her country in 100m and 200m Freestyles.

Background:

Penny Oleksiak was born to Richard Oleksiak and Alison Oleksiak. She comes from a family of athletics, where her father played basketball, football, and field athletics and her mother is a former swimmer who held Scottish Age Group records in Freestyle and Backstroke. Her elder brother Jake is a professional Ice Hockey player and her sister Hayley is a rower at Northeastern University.

Penny was encouraged by her father, Richard, to take up swimming at the young age of 9. She joined the Toronto Olympian Swimming Team, where she received her first training from coach Gary Nolden and later under Bill O’Toole. In 2014, Penny was taken under the wings of Ben Titley after he saw her talent in a competition at the University of Toronto.

Penny Oleksiak attended Monarch Park Collegiate Institute in her hometown. After completing her school education, she decided to focus on her swimming. She currently trains with Toronto Swim Club and coaches Bill O’Toole and Ben Titley.

Rise to Glory:

Penny Oleksiak made her international debut in 2014 at the Canadian Age Group Championships, where she won 10 medals, including 5 gold medals. The following year, she took home eight medals, including 4 Gold in 200m Individual Medley, 100m Medley, 200m Butterfly, and 100m Freestyle at the 2015 Australian Age Group Championships.

At the 2015 World Junior Swimming Championships, she clinched the 4x100m Mixed Freestyle title, four Silver medals in 100m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly, and 4x200m Freestyle, and a Bronze in 4x100m Freestyle at the

In 2016, Penny won the 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials and qualified for Rio Olympics. In 2017, she bagged five titles in 4x200m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle, 4x100m Medley, 4x100m Mixed Freestyle and 4x100m Mixed Medley at the World Junior Swimming Championships.

Penny Oleksiak holds individual national Long Course records in 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly and Short Course record in 50m Butterfly.

Major Achievements:

Penny Oleksiak made her senior international debut at the 2016 World Swimming Championships, where she won two Gold medals in 4x50m Freestyle and 4x200m Freestyle, a Silver in 4x100m Medley, and a Bronze medal in 100m Freestyle. That year, she competed in her debut Olympics at the Rio Olympics and won two home four medals, including a Gold in 100m Freestyle, a Silver in 100m Butterfly, and two Bronze medals in 4x100m and 4x200m Freestyles.

In 2017, Penny won two Bronze medals in 4x100m Mixed Freestyle and 4x100m Mixed Medley at the World Aquatics Championships. The following year, she bagged three Silver medals in 4x100m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle, and 4x100m Medley at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, Penny Oleksiak won three Bronze medals in 4x100m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle, and 4x100m Medley.

Penny Oleksiak qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is one of the strong contenders to win a medal in Women’s 200m Freestyle.