Javier Acevedo

Biography

Javier Acevedo broke onto the senior international scene at Rio 2016 as the youngest male member of Canada’s swimming team. A year later, at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, he captured his first senior international medals as part of the mixed 4x100m freestyle and mixed 4x100m medley relay teams, winning bronze in both. At the end of 2017, he was named Swimming Canada’s Co-Male Swimmer of the Year.

At the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, Acevedo made the finals of all five events in which he competed. In 2019, Acevedo was part of Team Canada at the Pan Am Games in Lima where he won silver with the mixed 4x100m medley relay and reached the finals in three individual events, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 200m backstroke.

Acevedo competed at his second Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 as a member of the mixed 4x100m medley relay squad. He returned to the World Aquatics Championships in 2022 where he won a silver medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay. He followed up with four medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, including an individual bronze in the 50m backstroke.

Acevedo won six medals on the Swimming World Cup circuit in the fall of 2022. He went on to win two medals at the short course 2022 World Swimming Championships (25m), taking silver in the 100m IM and bronze in the mixed 4x50m medley relay.

Acevedo’s first international medals came at the 2014 Australian Age Group Championships, where he stood on the podium in three events, taking gold in the 100m freestyle, silver in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 100m backstroke. He went on to make the 100m freestyle final at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

A year later at the 2015 World Juniors he won gold in the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay and silver in the 50m backstroke. He just missed the podium in the 200m IM by 0.08 of a second. Acevedo had qualified for the world juniors with his outstanding performances at the 2015 Canadian Trials where he was the youngest competitor in the 100m freestyle and 200m IM finals, finishing third both times against swimmers who went on to compete at the Pan Am Games. He was named Swimming Canada’s Junior Male Swimmer of the Year for 2015.

Competing in the NCAA for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, he set the school record in the 200-yard backstroke. In 2020-21, he earned First Team CSCAA All-America citations in three individual events and two relays.

A Little More About Javier

Getting into the Sport: Started swimming at age 7 when his mom put him and his sisters into the sport… Outside Interests: Enjoys reading books, going to the beach, being with friends… Graduated from the University of Georgia in 2021 with a degree in Psychology… Odds and Ends: Had Olympic dreamed sparked by watching the Canadian athletes participate in the opening ceremonies at Beijing 2008 and London 2012… Likes to collect clothing from his international competitors… Nickname: Javi…