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U.S. Olympian Hunter Armstrong is returning to Columbus, Ohio, to continue his training, and education, at Ohio State University under Buckeyes head coach Bill Dorenkott.
Ohio State is where Armstrong first rose to prominence as a collegiate swimmer from 2020 through 2022 after starting his college career at West Virginia. In 2022, he finished 5th in the 100 back at the NCAA Championships with the Buckeyes before turning pro and following his group coach Matt Bowe to Cal, where Bowe took a job as an associate head coach for one season.
Bowe would move on to become the head coach at Michigan before the 2023-2024 season, but Armstrong stayed in Berkeley to train with Dave Durden and arguably the best backstroke group in the world that includes names like Ryan Murphy, Destin Lasco, and Keaton Jones.
At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Armstrong placed 2nd in the 100 back (behind his teammate Ryan Murphy) and 4th in the 100 free. He had an up-and-down performance at the Olympics, finishing just 11th in the 100 back individually but winning silver in the 400 medley relay and gold in the 400 free relay, splitting 46.75 on a rolling start in the latter in arguably the key leg for the American side.
Armstrong says that he is taking 25 credit hours in his last semester academically at Ohio State and interning as a coach.
“I learned so much in California and loved my time with their team and coaches, but when I made my move to California it was supposed to only be 2 years with Matt. I’m ready to start moving toward my life after swim which requires a degree, a house, and a family, which I couldn’t do in California,” Armstrong told SwimSwam.
Armstrong says he plans to finish his career training at Ohio State, and that while the plan is Los Angeles 2028, he hedged a bit on the uncertainty.
“I will be at Ohio State until the end of my career. I hope that means LA (2028 Olympic Games), but a lot can happen in 4 years. But I have shifted my focus from just swimming into setting up for my life after swimming.”
Armstrong is 23 and would be 27 by the time the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials roll around.
While his degree is in Sport Industry, Armstrong says that’s not fully-reflective of his future career plans. His goal is to move into elementary education and work as a swim coach.
See last week’s full podcast interview with Armstrong below:
Audio also available on all of your favorite podcasting apps.
