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American Gold Medalist Hunter Armstrong Is Fueled by Faith in God

  • Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
  • Updated Jul 31, 2024
American Gold Medalist Hunter Armstrong Is Fueled by Faith in God

An American swimmer who helped propel the men’s team to a gold medal in the 400-meter relay says his Christian faith has given him peace in the midst of high-stakes competition on the world stage. Team USA’s Hunter Armstrong swam the third leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay Saturday as the Americans edged Australia for the gold medal in one of the most-watched events of the Summer Games. Armstrong’s split of 46.75 seconds was the fastest on the team -- even faster than fourth-leg sensation Caeleb Dressel -- and led Swimming World Magazine to label him the “unexpected star.”  

“I definitely didn’t expect it. I just went in. I would give my entire body and soul up for these boys,” Armstrong said. “I knew I had to give Caeleb everything I had, and so I was glad I was able to get my job done.”

It was the second Olympic gold medal for Armstrong, who also won gold at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 in the 400-meter medley relay. The 6-foot-6 swimmer is an Ohio native and competed at Ohio State University.

His faith, he said, has fueled him. His Instagram bio reads, “GOD FIRST!”

“That’s the first thing I want people to see and know about me,” Armstrong told Tim Ellsworth of Baptist Press. “As we grow, we have to make sure we have our priorities in line. I keep God as a priority. I can’t really live without Him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”

Armstrong is a backstroke specialist. He previously held the world record in the 50-meter backstroke and won gold at the World Championships. (The Summer Games only have the 100-meter backstroke, in which he placed 11th in Paris.)

Armstrong told Baptist Press he has grown in his faith in recent months following the death of his grandfather and a painful breakup with a girlfriend. 

“The biggest catalyst for change in life tends to be pain,” Armstrong said. “Sometimes God will put you in a position where you have no other choice than to turn to Him.

“That’s been the biggest change that I’ve made this year,” he added. “I promised at (World Championships) that if He would help me get out of this, then I would embrace it.”

His goal for Paris, he told Baptist Press, is simply to do his best.

“Obviously, I want to have a great performance for myself, my country and my teammates,” Armstrong said. “But if I walk away and I don’t have a single medal or a single best time, I can still walk away knowing that I represented myself well -- and God.”

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Sarah Stier/Staff

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.