U.S. swimmer Hunter Armstrong, now the owner of two Olympic gold medals, loves to compete and perform. But the athlete knows what matters most. “I keep God as a priority,” he recently told Baptist Press. “I can’t really live without him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”
Armstrong, who’s also passionate about magic, musical theater, and acting, proclaims “GOD FIRST!” on his Instagram bio. The 23-year-old said his Christian faith is “the first thing I want people to see and know about me.”
At the Paris Games, Armstrong’s standout leg in the 400-meter freestyle relay on July 27 helped Team USA win gold. The Ohio native, a backstroke specialist, also won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Last weekend in individual competition, Armstrong didn’t advance to the 100-meter backstroke finals.
US Swimmer Hunter Armstrong: Pain Is ‘Catalyst for Change’
Although Hunter Armstrong has been a Christian for years, he admitted to being “sort of on the edge” of faith. “When I’m in competition, I’ll pray, and that will last for a little bit,” he told Baptist Press. “Church camp, same kind of thing. But as soon as I didn’t need [God] anymore, it would fade.”
Several major upheavals in Armstrong’s life changed that. Last June, the coach he’d followed to California left for Michigan. In July, just before Armstrong won his first world title, his grandfather died.
Then in February, days before the 2024 World Championships, the swimmer’s longtime girlfriend broke up with him. “That was my first real relationship. I had a proposal planned out. I was already preordering the ring,” Armstrong said. “I was certain that I was going to marry this girl, and I quickly watched it all crumble.”
Afterward, the swimmer struggled to get out of bed. He missed practices, ordered food deliveries, and binged movies “because that was really the only thing that I knew could distract me.” Armstrong credited his coaches and teammates for encouraging him to seek counseling and spiritual mentoring.
“It truly made me a better person,” Armstrong said of the challenging time. “I learned and grew so much from that experience.” He added, “The biggest catalyst for change in life tends to be pain. Sometimes God will put you in a position where you have no other choice than to turn to him.”
Olympian Hunter Armstrong Wants to Represent God Well
Hunter Armstrong also credited his teammates for nurturing his spiritual growth. Fellow U.S. swimmer Michael Andrew has prayed with him and shown him “how you use faith in competition.” Armstrong also accepted Andrew’s invitation to attend Bible studies with other athletes.