StC News
Charlie Swanson ’16 Shows Up Strong in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Alumnus Charlie Swanson ’16 achieved a lifetime dream this summer.
Alumnus Charlie Swanson ’16 achieved a lifetime dream this summer. After 17 years of competing and training, the Saints alumnus won two Olympic medals for swimming on Team USA in Paris.
In July, Swanson joined nearly 600 fellow American athletes to compete in the 2024 Olympics, where he took home gold and silver medals in team relay races and placed in the semifinals in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke. “This was achieving the biggest goal I’ve ever had,” said Swanson, the first Saint to win Olympic medals. “Just being in Paris at the Olympics was so cool. I sometimes have to remind myself that I did this. It all started for me in 2008, watching Michael Phelps.”
Previously, Swanson won the gold medal in the men's 400-meter medley race at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, but Swanson’s athletic journey really begins at StC. He got his start swimming on the Saints varsity swim team when he was in the eighth grade. “Some of my fonder memories are of state meets when I was at StC,” Swanson said.
The preparation for the games was intense. Swanson swam, lifted weights and trained six days a week, often in two-hour periods. “I realized later that I learned a lot about persistence and maintaining a good mindset at St. Christopher’s,” Swanson said.
For the moment, the Saints Olympian is deciding what his next move will be. Swanson is considering trying to qualify for the next round of trials in 2028, but he’s also focused on his career trajectory. For the past 2 years, he’s worked for a civil engineering firm, but anticipates relocating after his fiancé graduates from graduate school. “I’m looking forward to the next step,” said Swanson.
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