Despite Surprise Bowman Departure, 2x Bronze Medalist Ilya Kharun is Thriving at Arizona State

Fresh off of leading Arizona State to its first NCAA team title in program history, Bob Bowman announced he would be leaving to head up the swim and dive program at Texas. A number of athletes left Arizona State following this announcement, either to follow Bob Bowman to Austin or pursue their swimming at other programs. One athlete who had trained under Bowman and was expected to follow him (from the outside) was freshman Ilya Kharun.

The Canadian national had seen vast improvement under Bowman in just one year, capping his season with an NCAA title in the 200 fly. However, having built a life and community in Tempe already, Kharun opted to stay and train under newly named head coach and ASU alum Herbie Behm. It seemed to work for the rising sophomore, as he qualified for his first Canadian Olympic team and left Paris with 2 bronze medals in the 100 and 200 fly.

In this podcast, Kharun discusses his decision to stay at ASU, what training with coach Behm has been like, and how he managed his event load in Paris and wound up on the podium twice.

0:00 Ilya Kharun Introduction
2:35 Olympic Preparation
6:36 200 Fly
11:50 Leon's Double
13:30 Staying at ASU
18:41 Learning How to Breathe
23:42 100 Fly
31:32 400 Medley Relay
35:10 Vacation in Budapest
40:24 2025 NCAA Season