World-renowned swimmer Penny Oleksiak is Canada’s most decorated Olympian with seven Olympic medals. She chatted about the upcoming World Championships in Budapest, the digital age, and being a part of Aquasphere.
2022 World Championships in Budapest
Oleksiak is looking forward to the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest. “I think that will be really fun. It is going to be a good time. I love Budapest, we are always racing there so it’s nice to be in a pool that you know really well,” she said.
For the time being, she revealed that she will be competing in the 100 and 200 meter freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, as well as a lot of relay choices. “It’s going to be a big schedule,” she admitted.
Last summer, Oleksiak won three medals (one silver and two bronze) at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, which brought her Olympic career total medal count to seven. “That is pretty weird and it’s really surreal,” she said. “Now, I’m trying to see how far I can take it. I really want to get some more medals at the next Olympic Games, which are coming up so quickly. I am excited to compete again since I haven’t raced since the last Olympic Games with the exception of Trials, so it has been a while.”
Oleksiak had great words about Canadian Olympic swimmer Brent Hayden, who recently retired. “It was really fun to be on a team with him at the Olympics. Brent is a really nice guy and I wish him all the best. Maybe he will make another comeback,” she said.
The digital age
On being a swimmer in the digital age, Oleksiak said, “It has developed a lot since 2016 where social media wasn’t as big as it is now. These days, you need to be on social media if you want to make a career out of it. The last couple of years have been a learning experience for me. I am really lucky to have a good team around me, and I have a lot of people that are willing to educate me on social media and all of the positive things that can come out of it.”
“It is pretty cool, especially since people are being so open and honest on social media, especially athletes with mental health awareness. Everyone is being really open and they are willing to talk about the struggles that they are going through. It is really cool to see that and almost be a part of that movement and make people understand what athletes are really going through,” she added.
Motivations
Regarding her daily motivations, she said, “For me, I still have so many goals that I haven’t achieved yet. It has always been a dream of mine, even when I was younger, to break a world record. That was my dream growing up. That has always been my main goal at the end of the day, and I am always working towards that and I am thinking about it each day when I am in the pool.”
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Going through the motions and really making sure that I am making the most of my days.”
“I am enjoying the brands that I am partnering with and I am trying to make the most of my time. I am trying to enjoy everything I can right now,” she added.
Aquasphere
Oleksiak is the flagship athlete for Aquasphere, and she is going to be developing and designing a new collection while she trains for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “It is pretty exciting,” she admitted. “I am excited to be a part of the whole team and the whole process, it’s really something different.”
Aquasphere is a premier swimming brand. To kick off the new partnership, Oleksiak will be heavily involved in the development and design of a new Aquasphere collection including a technical suit, eyewear, and additional swimwear as the brand continues to expand its product offering for swimmers at every level, including competitive pool athletes. The collection will play an important role in her success as she trains and races leading up to the ultimate challenge in 2024.
“The technology and innovation behind it all is really impressive,” she said. “I am hoping this will leave a mark in the competitive swimming world, and get people really interested in it.” Known as one of the fastest swimmers in the world, Oleksiak is a flagship athlete for Team Aquasphere and she will train and compete utilizing Aquasphere’s full range of industry-leading products from best-in-class eyewear to training equipment and performance swimsuits.
In addition, she will support the brand’s new XCEED goggle campaign, which launches later this year. The growing roster of world-class athletes on Team Aquasphere also includes swimmers Ben Proud of the United Kingdom and Maxime Grousset of France, who both represent the brand’s eyewear collection globally. “I love Ben, he is really nice. Maxime is great too,” she said.
“Growing up, I was taught to never put limits on myself, so Aquasphere’s mantra ‘Be Limitless’ really resonates with me,” Oleksiak said. “I’m very excited to be part of the innovation process and to help design technical gear that not only performs well but also looks great. Fashion has always been a passion of mine, and now I get to combine that with swimming to fuel the development and design of new products.”
A seven-time Olympic medalist and six-time World Championship medalist, Oleksiak is a force on Team Canada. As Canada’s youngest Olympic gold medalist, she holds the nation’s record for most medals at a single summer Olympic Games and is the country’s all-time most decorated Olympian.
In her short career, she has become known for her exciting come-from-behind victories and currently holds the Olympic Record for the women’s 100 meter freestyle.
Refined by almost 30 years of research, Aquasphere is well-known for its expertly crafted, high-quality swim goggles thanks to its in-house R&D department and manufacturing entity in Italy. “Aquasphere is actually letting me be really hands-on with everything, and I am really excited to be a part of that,” she said. “We are designing a racing suit together and they are letting me give so much input into the brand. They really value the athlete’s opinion and that’s really important because at the end of the day, we are the ones wearing the suits.”
Driven by a commitment to developing the most innovative and best quality swim products on the market, Aquasphere is embracing a bold new approach that builds upon its strong presence in open water swimming and triathlon to the pool with competitive swimming. More of their products and global athlete ambassadors will be announced in the upcoming months.
For more information on Aquashere, visit its official website.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Oleksiak said, “achieving the goals that I set out for myself, realistically.” “Now, I learned to set smaller goals and reach those, and give myself those little wins every once in a while so that I can feel that I am being successful and working towards something, and hopefully, it is motivating me to be better,” she said.
Rapid Fire Questions
Oleksiak also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? Waffles
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? City living
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Museum
Bath or shower? Shower
Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi
Texting or calling? Texting
Half-full or half-empty? Half-full
Curly fries or normal fries? Curly fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Skydiving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor pool
Tea or coffee? Tea
Rain or snow? Rain
Singing or dancing? Dancing
Burgers or tacos? Burgers
Long course or short course pool? Long course pool
Money or fame? Money
To learn more about Canada’s most decorated Olympian Penny Oleksiak, follow her on Instagram.
