Penny Oleksiak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Penny Oleksiak

Oleksiak in 2023
Personal information
Born	(2000-06-13) June 13, 2000 (age 25) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	1.86 m
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly
Club	Energy Standard Toronto Swim Club, High Performance Centre – Ontario
Coach	Bill O'Toole, Ben Titley, Ryan Mallette, Jeff Julian
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  Canada Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 2 4 World Championships (LC) 0 2 7 World Championships (SC) 2 2 3 World Junior Championships 6 4 1 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly Silver 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2020 Tokyo 200 m freestyle Bronze 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m medley World Championships (LC) Silver 2022 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2022 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2017 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2017 Budapest 4×100 m mixed medley Bronze 2019 Gwangju 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Gwangju 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Gwangju 4×100 m medley Bronze 2022 Budapest 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2022 Budapest 4×100 m medley World Championships (SC) Gold 2016 Windsor 4x50 m freestyle Gold 2016 Windsor 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2016 Windsor 4×100 m medley Silver 2024 Budapest 4×50 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2016 Windsor 100 m freestyle Bronze 2024 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2024 Budapest 4×100 m mixed medley Commonwealth Games Silver 2018 Gold Coast 4x100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Gold Coast 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m medley World Junior Championships Gold 2015 Singapore 4×100 m mixed freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m medley Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m mixed freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m mixed medley Silver 2015 Singapore 100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Singapore 50 m butterfly Silver 2015 Singapore 100 m butterfly Silver 2015 Singapore 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2015 Singapore 4×100 m freestyle

Penelope "Penny" Oleksiak (born June 13, 2000) is a Canadian competitive swimmer. She is often called "Magic Penny" because of her amazing performances. Penny is one of Canada's most successful Olympians ever.

She became famous at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. There, she was the first Canadian to win four medals at one Summer Games. She also became Canada's youngest Olympic champion by winning gold in the 100 m freestyle. Penny was the first athlete born in the 2000s to win an individual Olympic gold medal. Her success earned her many awards, including Canada's top athlete of 2016. Five years later, she won three more medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics. This made her the Canadian with the most Olympic medals, a record she now shares with sprinter Andre De Grasse.

Penny is also Canada's most decorated athlete at the FINA World Aquatics Championships. She has won many medals at other big swimming events too. These include the World Swimming Championships, World Junior Championships, and Commonwealth Games. She holds Canadian and junior world records in the 100 m freestyle. She also used to hold records in the 100 m butterfly.

Penny's Swimming Journey

Penny started swimming at age 9 after learning in a neighbor's pool. Her dad encouraged her to try the sport. She also did gymnastics and competitive dance. Penny tried to join several swim clubs in Toronto. But she was turned away because she struggled to swim the full length of the pool.

Finally, coach Gary Nolden at the Toronto Olympian Swim Team took her in. He helped her build the skills for her swimming career. Penny said he had "a lot of faith" in her. Within a year, her swimming caught the eye of coach Ben Titley. He would later lead Canada's Olympic team. When she was 14, Penny won 10 individual medals at the 2014 Canadian Age Group Championships. She also won three relay gold medals.

Early Success (2015–2016)

Penny showed her great talent early on. Six weeks after breaking her elbow in a bike accident, she still won six medals at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships. She won gold in a mixed relay, and silver medals in the 100 m freestyle and 50 m and 100 m butterfly.

Her next goal was to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She set a junior world record in the 100 m freestyle during the Olympic trials. She also broke the Canadian record. Penny also set Canadian and World Junior records in the 100 m butterfly.

Olympic Debut in Rio (2016)

Oleksiak at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Penny competed in five races for Canada's swimming team in Rio. On day one, she broke the national and world junior record in the 100 m butterfly heats. She also helped the women's 4×100 m freestyle relay team win Canada's first Olympic medal in that event in 40 years. She said, "No one expected this of Canada."

The next night, she won a silver medal in the 100 m butterfly final. She broke her own world junior and Canadian records again. Penny became the first Canadian to win a medal on each of the first two days of the Olympics.

On day five, she broke the world junior record in the 100 m freestyle heats. She then helped the 4×200 m freestyle relay team win another bronze medal.

On day six, Penny won a gold medal in the 100 m freestyle. She tied with Simone Manuel and set a new Olympic record. Penny became Canada's youngest Olympic champion. She was also the first Canadian to win four Summer Olympic medals in one Games. She was the first athlete born in the 2000s to win an individual Olympic gold. Penny was chosen to be Canada's flag bearer for the closing ceremony.

World Championships (2016)

In December 2016, Penny competed at the short course world championships in Windsor, Ontario. She won a bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle, breaking her third World Junior record. She also helped Canada win two gold medals in relays and a silver medal in another relay.

Because of her amazing performances, Penny won many awards. She was named Canada's top athlete of the year. She was also named Canada's female athlete of the year.

Challenges and Comebacks (2017–2019)

Penny faced challenges in 2017, including shoulder injuries. She also got a concussion after being hit in the head with a medicine ball. Despite this, she qualified for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.

At the world championships, she won two bronze medals in mixed relays. She helped Canada tie for bronze in one relay and anchor another to bronze. After these championships, Penny changed coaches.

In 2018, Penny competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She won three silver medals in relay events. She decided not to compete in some individual races that year. She later said this break was needed to deal with the pressure after the Rio Olympics. She found that "no time was ever really good enough" for her. She then returned to training with her former coach, Ben Titley.

In 2019, Penny joined the first International Swimming League. Her team, Energy Standard Swim Club, won the title.

Road to Tokyo (2020)

When the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, Penny had to stop training for four months. She said this break helped her rethink her training. She learned to love training again and focus on her technique. The 2020 Summer Olympics were delayed by a year. Penny also became the first female global ambassador for Phelps Brand, a swim gear company started by famous Olympian Michael Phelps. She said Phelps was a helpful mentor.

Olympic Success in Tokyo (2020)

Penny competed at the Canadian Olympic swim trials before the Tokyo Games. She won the 100 m event, her fastest time since Rio. She also came second in the 200 m trial. On June 24, 2021, Penny was named to Canada's 2020 Olympic team.

Penny started her Tokyo Olympics by swimming the last part of the 4×100 m freestyle relay. The team won Canada's first medal of the Games, a silver.

Next, she competed in the 200 m freestyle. This was an event she hadn't done in Rio. She set a new personal best time and won the bronze medal. This was her sixth Olympic medal! It made her the most decorated Summer Olympian in Canadian history. She tied with Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen for the most Olympic medals won by a Canadian.

Penny was also part of the Canadian team in the 4×200 m freestyle relay. They broke the Canadian record but finished fourth. She then competed in the 100 m freestyle. She set a new personal best and national record but finished fourth.

Her last event in Tokyo was the 4×100 m medley relay. Penny swam the freestyle part. The team won the bronze medal and set a new national record. She said she was happy to make history with her teammates.

Recent Seasons (2022–2024)

In 2022, Penny's longtime coach left his position. She also got COVID-19 before the Canadian swimming trials. Despite this, she won two silver medals at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in relays. Her time of 52.51 in one relay was the fastest of any swimmer. She also won two bronze medals in other relays. Penny became the most decorated Canadian swimmer at the World Championships with nine medals. She said she felt "really lucky to be part of Team Canada."

Penny did not compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She later suffered a knee injury while on vacation. She had surgery to fix it, calling the recovery "the longest and most tentative" of her career.

In 2023, Penny continued to recover from her knee injury. She also developed a new shoulder problem. She withdrew from the World Championships to focus on healing. Later that year, she moved to California to train with a new coach. She then had another knee injury that needed surgery.

In 2024, Penny returned to competition. She said her recent experiences had made her love swimming again. She even thought about competing until the 2028 Summer Olympics. At the Canadian Olympic trials, she missed qualifying for individual events. However, she was still named to the relay team for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She said she was "just excited to be part of the team."

At the 2024 Olympics, Penny helped the Canadian 4×100 m freestyle relay team finish fourth. She also swam in the heats for the 4×100 m medley relay, helping the team qualify for the final. She later won a bronze medal at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25 m) in a relay.

Personal Life

Penny Oleksiak was born to parents who moved to Canada. Her father is Polish American, and her mother is Scottish. She is the youngest of five children. Her older brother, Jamie Oleksiak, plays in the NHL. Her family has a strong sports background. Her father played basketball and football. Her mother held swimming records in Scotland. Her older sister Hayley was a rower, and her older brother Jake played college hockey.

Penny went to Monarch Park Collegiate Institute in Toronto. As a teenager, she had a dog named Jagr and a cat named Rio.

Personal Bests

Long course (50-metre pool)

Short course (25-metre pool)

Images for kids

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  Oleksiak in 2023

See also

In Spanish: Penny Oleksiak para niños

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)