University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim
Hussey Primed For First Olympic Games
July 29, 2024 | Swimming & Diving
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC freestyle swimmer Patrick Hussey, a native of Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada, will make his Olympic debut in the men's swimming 4x200 meter freestyle relay on July 30 in Paris.
Hussey, who will return to UNC for a fifth year in 2024-25, earned a spot on the Canadian national team with a second-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic Trials in Toronto.
"It's still soaking in," Hussey said. "It just hits me and I'm like, wow, it really happened. I've finally accomplished the dream I've been dreaming about for a long time."
Canada hasn't had a 4x200 meter freestyle relay team reach the Olympic Final since 2008 in Beijing, when it finished fifth.
"Our main goal is to make the finals," Hussey explained. "Bringing a team to the Olympics is huge for us, and I think the next step is to make the finals and see what happens from there."
Hussey is no stranger to international competition. He represented Team Canada in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan and the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest.
His foursome placed 11th in 2022 and 12th in 2023.
"Going to those competitions motivated me a lot more," Hussey said. "Once you reach a certain level, you want to go further, and those competitions have pushed me."
Hussey has maintained a strenuous workout routine throughout the summer, training in the pool twice a day four times a week plus another afternoon session and lifting weights three to four times a week.
It was a regimen he kept all year that helped him establish a program record in the 200 freestyle (1:32.87) at the 2024 NCAA Championships, leading off the 800 freestyle relay.
Hussey earned All-America honorable mention honors for his effort.
He has participated in the NCAA Championships each season of his collegiate career and owns the second-fastest 100 freestyle time (42.61) in program history. Hussey ranks among UNC's all-time top 10 in the 500 freestyle (5th/4:18.18) and the 1000 freestyle (6th/9:06.59).
"[Carolina] has been a huge part of my trajectory and a crucial part of my preparation," Hussey said. "You can see it in my times that have dropped since I've been here. It's been great having coaches who have been at high levels coach me on reaching those levels."
His journey began as a seven-year-old at the Point-Claure Swim Club in suburban Montreal, where he dreamed of becoming an Olympian and etching his name alongside four-time Canadian Olympic medalist Victor Davis.
"When we were young, we would always look at the record board and see the names, and I wanted to put my name on that board," Hussey said during a recent phone interview with The Timmins Daily Press.
Hussey grew up playing ice hockey and soccer while snow skiing competitively but decided as a young teenager to focus on this Olympic dream and concentrate on swimming.
He committed to the Tar Heels' program in the spring of 2020 after winning the 200 freestyle and 100 fly at the 2019 Canadian Junior Championships.
"It's great to have UNC behind me in this journey," Hussey said. "My coaches have been here for four years now and it's a moment that I'm happy to share with them."
Hussey, who will return to UNC for a fifth year in 2024-25, earned a spot on the Canadian national team with a second-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic Trials in Toronto.
"It's still soaking in," Hussey said. "It just hits me and I'm like, wow, it really happened. I've finally accomplished the dream I've been dreaming about for a long time."
Canada hasn't had a 4x200 meter freestyle relay team reach the Olympic Final since 2008 in Beijing, when it finished fifth.
"Our main goal is to make the finals," Hussey explained. "Bringing a team to the Olympics is huge for us, and I think the next step is to make the finals and see what happens from there."
Hussey is no stranger to international competition. He represented Team Canada in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan and the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest.
His foursome placed 11th in 2022 and 12th in 2023.
"Going to those competitions motivated me a lot more," Hussey said. "Once you reach a certain level, you want to go further, and those competitions have pushed me."
Hussey has maintained a strenuous workout routine throughout the summer, training in the pool twice a day four times a week plus another afternoon session and lifting weights three to four times a week.
It was a regimen he kept all year that helped him establish a program record in the 200 freestyle (1:32.87) at the 2024 NCAA Championships, leading off the 800 freestyle relay.
Hussey earned All-America honorable mention honors for his effort.
He has participated in the NCAA Championships each season of his collegiate career and owns the second-fastest 100 freestyle time (42.61) in program history. Hussey ranks among UNC's all-time top 10 in the 500 freestyle (5th/4:18.18) and the 1000 freestyle (6th/9:06.59).
"[Carolina] has been a huge part of my trajectory and a crucial part of my preparation," Hussey said. "You can see it in my times that have dropped since I've been here. It's been great having coaches who have been at high levels coach me on reaching those levels."
His journey began as a seven-year-old at the Point-Claure Swim Club in suburban Montreal, where he dreamed of becoming an Olympian and etching his name alongside four-time Canadian Olympic medalist Victor Davis.
"When we were young, we would always look at the record board and see the names, and I wanted to put my name on that board," Hussey said during a recent phone interview with The Timmins Daily Press.
Hussey grew up playing ice hockey and soccer while snow skiing competitively but decided as a young teenager to focus on this Olympic dream and concentrate on swimming.
He committed to the Tar Heels' program in the spring of 2020 after winning the 200 freestyle and 100 fly at the 2019 Canadian Junior Championships.
"It's great to have UNC behind me in this journey," Hussey said. "My coaches have been here for four years now and it's a moment that I'm happy to share with them."
Players Mentioned
Distance Free, IM
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