The 23-year-old American Olympic swimmer Ivan Puskovitch has competed at the world championship level for Team USA in several different nations. He’s qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Ivan Puskovitch Qualified for Paris Olympics 2024
Ivan Puskovitch earned a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team by placing 14th in the men’s 10K open water race at the recent World Aquatics Championships. This was Puskovitch’s first time competing at Paris Olympics.
“I’m speechless. It’s surreal. I made a change about a year ago to be with coach Mo Khadembashi at TSM. About a year-and-a-half ago, I told him that I wanted to be on the National Team in open water, and he looked at me and said, “If you’re going to do it right now, why don’t you go for the Olympic team?’ On that phone call, when he said that, I couldn’t believe what he said given how things were going in my career.
” I’m so proud to have achieved this for myself and for Team USA to walk out of here as an Olympic qualifier. I do this for all the people who have sacrificed so much for me, have been with me every step of the way, and never lost faith in me to achieve my dreams.”
Puskovitch on qualifying for the Paris Olympics:
“This was my first World Championships, let alone first Olympic-qualifying event. The biggest thing for me was trying to stay calm throughout the race. The first feed I reached for got swatted out of my hand, so I just had to keep my cool, put my head down, and get back into the (lead) pack. I was making sure to keep my emotions tame so I could put my energy towards taking no soft strokes, racing the person next to me, and keeping that mentality for all six laps.”
Puskovitch on his swim
Ivan Puskovitch qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics by placing 14th in the 10K open water swim at the World Championships in Doha. He posted a time of 1:48:54.4 in the Port of Doha. Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky won gold.
Fellow American Michael Brinegar also competed, finishing 19th. This earned the U.S. a second qualifying spot for the 10K event in Paris, although who will take that second spot is still undetermined.
On the women’s side, Katie Grimes and Mariah Denigan have already qualified to swim the 10K for Team USA at the upcoming Olympics.
Ivan Puskovitch’s Age and His Early Life
Ivan Puskovitch was born on February 28, 2001. He is a swimmer from Episcopal Academy in Pennsylvania, representing their swim club. Puskovitch stands 6’1″ tall and weighs 160 pounds.
His mother, Robin Rabinovitch, introduced him to swimming as an infant in their backyard pool. By age 5 he had joined a swim team. Around ages 7-8 Puskovitch knew he wanted swimming to be his focus.
Since age 10 he has been training 10 kilometers daily, after breaking a national age group record that year.
He studied at the University of Southern California. His commitment to swimming brought his Olympic dream within reach. Puskovitch continued competing in open water events, traveling domestically and overseas.
Meet Ivan Puskovitch Girlfriend Ivan Puskovitch
Well-known American Olympic swimmer Ivan Puskovitch is currently in a relationship with his girlfriend Iva Maljkovic. He first posted a pic kissing each other in a swimming pool in July 2022.
The couple frequently kisses each other and traveling different places. Iva also attended some of his swimming competitions.
Ivan Puskovitch Started his Early career at the age of just 14
In September 2015 as a 14-year-old, Puskovitch won the first 8-mile Valley Forge Marathon Swim in Pennsylvania after nearly 3 hours of racing. He finished 17th in the 5km junior race at the 2016 World Junior Open Water Championships.
Also Read: All you need to know about Paris Olympics USA Swimmer Katie Grimes Parents
Puskovitch won the junior 7.5km race at the 2018 U.S. National Open Water Championships. That same year he won the Valley Forge Marathon Swim again with a time of 2 hours 50 minutes. At the 2018 World Junior Open Water Championships he placed 8th in the Boys 16-17 7.5km event.
In September 2018 Puskovitch received USA Swimming‘s Open Water Achievement Award. In 2019 he finished 16th at U.S. Nationals in the open water 10K race.
Ivan Breaking the record on his Professional Career
As a freshman at the University of Southern California in 2020, Puskovitch provided depth in distance events. He scored in his first Pac-12 championships in the 400 IM (15th) and 1650 free (18th). In 2021 he was a conference finalist in the 400 IM, 500 free, and 1650 free with multiple top-15 finishes. At the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, he placed top 50 in the 400 and 800-meter freestyle.
In 2022 Puskovitch earned 13th in the 1650 free at Pac-12s along with two other top 20 swims. He was named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll and a Second Team Scholar All-American.
Puskovitch transferred to West Virginia University in 2023. He won the 500 free, 1000 free, and 1650 free in early season meets. At an open water World Cup event in Portugal, he was the top American finisher in 24th position in the 10K race.
Based on his open-water results, Puskovitch qualified for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships. There he earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team by placing 14th in the 10K race. He will be the first WVU swimmer to compete at the Olympics. Puskovitch is the 5th American man to ever qualify for Olympic open water swimming.
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