MORGANTOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Ivan Puskovitch, a student at West Virginia University (WVU), has qualified for the marathon swimming event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Puskovitch secured his spot after placing 14th in the men’s 10 km event at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a time of 1:48:54.40.
Puskovitch’s achievement marks him as the fifth American male in history to qualify for the Olympics in open water swimming since the event was added to the Games in 2008.
He is also the first male swimmer from the WVU swimming and diving program to earn a place in the Olympics and the first Mountaineer to represent the U.S. in swimming.
To qualify for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, Puskovitch demonstrated his prowess at the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup, where he finished as the top American male, placing 24th in the men’s 10 km race in Funchal, Portugal, on December 2, 2023, with a time of 1:45:40.50.
Puskovitch has set several records and earned numerous accolades during his time at WVU.
At the 2024 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, he set program records in the 1650-yard freestyle (15:15.34) and the 1000-yard freestyle (9:08.91).
He also placed second in the 1650-yard freestyle and earned a silver medal in the 400-yard individual medley (IM) with a time of 3:47.61.
Additionally, he placed first in the B final of the 500-yard freestyle (4:22.83) and won the 1650-yard freestyle (15:26.34) event against Villanova.
In his debut as a Mountaineer, Puskovitch won two individual events against Pitt, capturing the 500-yard freestyle (4:33.52) and the 1000-yard freestyle (9:20.20).
He was named First Team All-Big 12 for his outstanding performances.
Before attending WVU, Puskovitch competed at the Pac-12 Championships, where he placed 13th in the 1650-yard freestyle (15:18.47), 18th in the 500-yard freestyle (4:25.04), and 19th in the 400-yard IM (3:53.61).
He earned Scholar All-American CSCAA Second Team honors and was named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Puskovitch’s achievements extend to the international stage as well.
He finished fifth in the 5k at the 2021 Open Water Nationals and competed in the 2021 U.S. Team Trials, placing 47th in the 400 LCM freestyle and 49th in the 800 LCM freestyle.
A graduate of The Episcopal Academy, Puskovitch was a U.S. Junior National Champion and a member of the U.S. National Junior Team in both open water and pool swimming.
He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Coaching and Sport Education at WVU, having earned a degree in Psychology with a minor in Sports Media Studies from the University of Southern California (USC).
Three others from Fairmont State University and WVU are also participating in the 2024 Olympics. Stay tuned for their highlight as well.
