Olympian Hunter Armstrong encourages young swimmers to set goals and met own expectations

MASSILLON – It wasn't too long ago that Dover High School graduate Hunter Armstrong was standing on the starting blocks for a YMCA swim team, winning heats and collecting ribbons.

A decade and a half later, Armstrong has upped the ante. He's now an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder.

He brought home five medals (two golds, two silvers and a bronze) recently from the world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

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Not too bad for a kid who pursued swimming to be better than his older brother.

"I think I'm succeeding," Armstrong joked.

The 21-year-old sat down with the Massillon YMCA's Gator swim team on Monday to talk about his time in and out of the pool.

"It's important to see an athlete of this caliber," Gator head coach Scott Mazon told those gathered at the Y pool. "He started in a program like ours. He's the fastest 50 backstroker on the plant. That's amazing."

Hunter Armstrong: It's about meeting a goal

Armstrong took questions about a variety of topics from swim routines, how much he eats, his favorite races and how he calms his nerves from the swimmers, who ranged in age from 8 to late teens.

When asked how it felt to be a world recorder holder, Armstrong explained it was weird, something he wished every swimmer could experience.

During the International Team Trials in April, Armstrong set the world record for the men's 50-meter backstroke with a time of 23.71 seconds. He bested the previous world record by 0.09 seconds.

"It wasn't just the fastest I had ever done, no one ever hit that speed," he said. "I want others to experience it. It's a really neat feeling."

Armstrong, who recently decided to go pro, told the swimmers to set their goals and never compare themselves to other athletes.

"They have a different journey than you," he said noting an athlete should focus on personal goals.

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To calm his nerves before a race, Armstrong said he turns to prayer. Especially with higher-level races where there is a lot of pressure to do well for yourself and your country.

But even at the most stressful of swims, he never really feels nervous, he said.

"There is only one thing I can credit that to," Armstrong explained. "I trust that it is in God's hands."

Hunter Armstrong's reflects on the Oympics

He will never forget opening the care package he received after making the USA team. It included a U.S. flag embroidered with his last name embroidered.

On his first trip to the Olympics, Armstrong said it was neat to meet Olympic swimmers he had always looked up to and see them now as teammates.

"I had put these people on a pedestal and now I am sitting around a table playing poker and Cards Against Humanity with them," he said. "I got to see them as people rather than giants of the sport."

As a member of the U.S. men's Olympic swim team, Armstrong earned a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay, swimming backstroke in the prelims of the Tokyo Olympics. He finished ninth in the 100-meter backstroke.

Swimming has taken him all over the world. Armstong said he enjoys visiting new places - on someone else's dime, he joked.

Before heading to Tokyo, the team spent weeks in Hawaii preparing for the world's stage. He recently visited Croatia, a place he didn't know where to find on the map, but now recommends visiting, noting it is beautiful. Next year he'll travel to the Philippines before the World Championships.

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Since going pro, Armstrong said he has gotten some of his freedom back. As a college student and swimmer at Ohio State University, he had to split his time training and working toward his degree in sports industry.

Now he is going to focus on swimming and getting ready for next year's World Championships and Paris Olympics in 2024.

"As a professional, I get more free time and can do these types of events or go visit my friends," he said. "I'm not in school. I don't have a job. My job is swimming."

He'll train about five to six hours a day, he said.

The worst part about being a pro?

"I have to dedicate my time to swimming. I can't miss a practice. I have to take it seriously," he said. "Training is going to get harder and that scares me, but it is a necessary step to get to my goal."

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com

On Twitter: @aknappINDE

Learn more about Olympic gold-medalist Hunter Armstrong

Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong visited the Massillon YMCA to talk to the members of the Gators swim team. Here's what he had to say:

Favorite meal: Pasta, but you can never go wrong with pancakes.

Music he listens to: Behind the blocks, he listens to music that will pump him up such as rap. When he is not swimming, he enjoys show tunes, country and a variety of genres. "It's hard to get pumped up behind the blocks to 'Dear Evan Hansen.'"

His idol: In life, his grandfather but in the swimming world it is USA team member Caeleb Dressel. 

Favorite/least favorite event: Armstrong said he told his swim coach at Ohio State that he would not do the 200-yard backstroke. "I told him I would transfer," he said. He never had to do it, but Armstrong said he will have to swim it at the next Olympics. His favorite is the freestyle backstroke. 

Main sponsor: Tyr Sport.

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Olympian Hunter Armstrong encourages young YMCA swimmers to set goals