North Columbus News

Olympian and Ohio State Buckeyes swimmer Alex Axon is preparing for the 2024 Paris Games, where he will compete as part of Team Canada beginning July 26. The Fisher College of Business finance major’s initial interest in swimming was casual.

“My mom put me in swim lessons just for safety when I was 5, 6 years old, around that time,” the Toronto native said. “And then from there, I just became very interested in the sport. I started swimming — you could say semi-competitive — at the age of 9, 10 and just stuck with it and things took off from there.”

Not long after becoming a competitive swimmer, Axon began racking up accomplishments. He finished fifth in the 5km event in the 14-15 age group at the 2018 World Junior Open Water Championships. He set a record for Canada’s best-ever result in the event.

When it came time to choose a college, Axon set his sights on Ohio State at the recommendation of his hometown friend Ruslan Gaziev, also a Buckeyes champion swimmer and a 2020 Tokyo Olympian.

“He raved about Ohio State, so it was definitely one of my top choices,” Axon said. “I couldn’t be more thankful and blessed for the opportunity that Ohio State has provided me. It’s truly incredible.”

As a member of the Buckeyes swim team, Axon qualified for the 2024 NCAA Championships. He won bronze in the 500-yard freestyle at the 2024 Big Ten Championships.

Under the guidance of the Buckeyes coaching staff led by Bill Dorenkott, director of swimming and diving, Axon and his teammates undergo rigorous training.

“We do nine two-hour swims a week,” Axon said. “And then on top of that, we lift three times a week for one hour in the weight room.”

Leading up to the Olympics, Axon debuted at the World Aquatics Championships in 2022 as a member of Canada’s open water team, competing in the men’s 5km and mixed 4x1500m relay. He was part of Team Canada again at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, where he won bronze in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and was a finalist in both of his individual events, the 800m and 1500m freestyle.

Axon won three straight silver medals in both the 800m and 1500m freestyle events at the Canadian Trials from 2021 to 2023. He earned his spot on the Paris 2024 Olympic team by winning the men’s 200m freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials with a personal best time of 1:47.56. He will compete along with Buckeyes teammate and fellow Ontario native Tristan Jankovics, who also secured a place on Team Canada.

Axon said he has overcome challenges along his journey to the Olympics.

“There’s definitely struggles every day. It’s part of the sport — it’s a given,” he said. “It’s always on your mind that this once-in-a-lifetime chance is coming up soon.”

While in Paris, Axon looks forward to observing other Olympic sports when he is not competing.

“I’m really interested in seeing tennis matches,” he said. “That’s one of my favorite sports.”

Axon also plans to explore Paris with his family.

“I’m super-blessed that both my mom and my dad are going to be able to come to Paris and watch me,” he said. “And I’m super-excited for them to see me but also experience France.”

While considering career options beyond swimming, Axon remains focused on getting most out of his Olympic experience while planning for his third year as an academic student duringthe upcoming academic year.

“I definitely have a lot to think about after these Games but right now I'm just going to focus on my last two years of eligibility with Ohio State,” he said. “On top of that I’m really interested investment banking finance”

Axon is still grasping historic significance being an Olympic athlete

“I don’t want attest whole career being Olympian but same time feels like end-all be-all making Olympic Games becoming Olympian”he stated."feel name tag kind stamped life proud”

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