Javier Carlos Acevedo (born 28 January 1998) is a Canadian competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. He competes primarily in the backstroke events. Acevedo won two bronze medals at the

2017 World Aquatics Championships The 17th FINA World Championships () were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017.

as part of both the mixed 4×100 m freestyle relay and the 4×100 m mixed medley relay. He has also won a gold medal at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in the 4×100 m mixed freestyle relay and a silver in the 50 m backstroke. Acevado was a former

Junior world record Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr ...

holder in the 100 m backstroke event.

Career

The 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships were Acevedo's first opportunity to compete for the national team on a world stage. At the junior championships he won the silver medal in the 50 m metre backstroke, while setting a personal best. This was his first individual international medal, Acevedo said that "I touched the wall properly which helped get the silver in a very tight race. It was very important because I know that I will have more out speed the next time I do it. I made sure I was mentally prepared before the race. I was confident." As part of Canada's mixed 4×100 m relay team at the junior worlds, he was the gold medal winner and world junior champ. He swam in that final together with

Markus Thormeyer Markus Thormeyer (born August 25, 1997) is a Canadian competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle and backstroke. Originally from Delta, Thormeyer moved in 2015 to Vancouver, British Columbia after graduating high school to train with the H ...

Penny Oleksiak Penelope Oleksiak (born June 13, 2000) is a Canadian competitive swimmer. Nicknamed "Magic Penny", she is one of her country's most decorated Olympians. Oleksiak rose to fame during the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she became the first Canadian t ...

, and

Taylor Ruck Taylor Madison Ruck (born May 28, 2000) is a Canadian competitive swimmer. She won two Olympic bronze medals as part of Canada's women's 4×100 metre and 4×200 metre freestyle relay teams at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Ruck wo ...

. He set the

in the 100 m backstroke on his way to qualifying for the event at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

in the Canadian Olympic Trials. In 2016, he was named to Canada's Olympic team for the

where he swam to a 17th-place finish in the 100 m backstroke, failing to qualify for the semi-finals. He was the youngest male swimmer on Canada's Olympic team at these games, competing at the age of 18. Acevedo was next named to Canada's

2017 World Aquatics Championships The 17th FINA World Championships () were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017.

team in

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Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. He made it through to the semi-finals but finished with the 14th best time and out of the finals. On the same day he would compete in the 4×100 m mixed freestyle relay helping the team to a bronze. In regard to racing twice in the same night and still performing well enough to medal, Acevedo said that "It was pretty difficult, but I've done a lot of work in my training to be able to do that kind of stuff...I just had to work hard and get through it." Acevedo also competed in the 50 m backstroke, but once again failed to qualify for the finals finishing 16th in the semi-finals. In June 2021, Acevedo was named to his second Canadian Olympic team. He competed in the Olympic debut of the mixed medley relay, but the Canadian team finished thirteenth in the heats and did not advance to the final. At the

2022 World Aquatics Championships The 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 19th edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships, were held in Budapest, Hungary, from 17 June to 3 July 2022. These championships included five disciplines, with high diving not staged for this edi ...

, Acevedo was part of the Canadian team for the mixed freestyle relay, winning the silver medal. He was the lone member of the Canadian team to participate in both the heats and the event final. He did not advance out of the heats of either the 50 or 100 m backstroke. Named to Canada's team for the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

, Acevedo began the first day of the championships by winning the bronze medal in the mixed freestyle relay. The following day he won a bronze with the men's team in the freestyle. This was the first men's relay medal for Canada at a major event since the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

, and the first at the Commonwealth Games since

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. Acevedo said on the occasion "this team is so strong and it gives us hope we can improve in the future." He went on to win an individual bronze medal in the 50 m backstroke in 24.97 seconds, lowering his own Canadian record from five years earlier. Acevedo swam the backstroke segment for Canada in the heats of the mixed medley. He was replaced by

Kylie Masse Kylie Jacqueline Masse (born January 18, 1996) is a Canadian competitive swimmer. A noted backstroke specialist, she is a five-time Olympic medallist, three-time World Aquatics champion, three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and the 20 ...

in the final, but received a silver medal after the team finished second there.

Personal bests

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acevedo, Javier 1998 births Living people Swimmers from Toronto Sportspeople from Scarborough, Ontario Canadian male backstroke swimmers Swimmers at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers for Canada World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Pan American Games silver medalists in swimming Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Swimmers at the 2019 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Georgia Bulldogs men's swimmers Canadian expatriate swimmers in the United States Swimmers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games silver medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in swimming 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2023 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Olympics