The Dover, Ohio native was in second-to-last at the midway point, he kicked it into high gear down the stretch and finished just .15 seconds behind 2016 gold medalist Ryan Murphy for second in the event and a spot in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
This story was updated for the BuckeyeBound edition.
Invictus maneo — which translates to “I remain unvanquished” — serves as a guiding motto for Hunter Armstrong and his family.
On June 15, it carried another meaning for the Ohio State sophomore as he placed second in the 100-meter backstroke final at the U.S. Olympic Trials and punched his ticket to compete in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Although Armstrong was in seventh off of the first and only flip turn of the event, he kicked it into high gear down the stretch and finished just .15 seconds behind 2016 gold medalist Ryan Murphy.
When Armstrong looked up at the final results in Omaha, Nebraska, he said he was a bit surprised.
“I thought I was doing pretty well on the first 50; everybody else seems to disagree. I thought I was going out a lot faster than I was because I was only a half-a-body length off Ryan Murphy, but everybody else in the field took it out really fast,” Armstrong said. “I knew I just had to come back. I found another gear on that last 35 meters where I’ve never felt anything like it but I knew it was going to come down to the finish.”
Arriving at Ohio State after a one-year stint at West Virginia, the sophomore underwent a rigorous training regiment to improve his strength.
Standing at 6-foot-7 and 185 pounds, Armstrong said he was “never a very big dryland athlete” and had to learn the basics of the weight room upon his arrival in Columbus.
“I was not prepared for what I was getting into,” Armstrong said. “It was constant technique fixes and I had to learn to not compare myself to others because a lot of my teammates are much more experienced in the weight room. So, I had to start on the bar and just slowly work up. I’m still not stronger than a lot of them but I’m working on it.”
While Armstrong self-described himself as a late bloomer, associate head coach Matt Bowe said the sky is the limit for the small-town swimmer.
“The thing that’s great about Hunter, as much as he has achieved throughout his career and now here at Ohio State, I believe it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Bowe said.
During his first season at Ohio State, Armstrong played a key role in the Buckeyes’ third-place finish in the Big Ten and seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships March 24-27.
Armstrong earned a second-place finish in 100-meter backstroke at the Big Ten Championships alongside a third-place and fourth-place performance in the 100-meter freestyle and 50-meter freestyle, respectively.
At the NCAA Championships, he placed 13th in the 100-meter backstroke.
Following the NCAA season and a strong showing at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis in May, Armstrong scored personal bests in the U.S. Olympic trials semifinal and final to punch his ticket to Tokyo.
Despite swimming competitively for most of his life, it took time for Armstrong to fully dedicate his time to the sport of swimming — declaring that he fully committed to the sport just three years ago.
It was a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2018 with his club — CCS Swim Team — where Armstrong realized that he may have a future in the sport.
“It all started because I wanted to go to Fort Lauderdale and (Club Coach) Mike [Davidson] told me that if I wanted to go, I had to commit to the program and start showing up to more than two practices a week,” Armstrong said. “I just started showing up and I had a really good meet and then I realized that there might be something here.”
Outside of the pool, Armstrong pointed to his family, former coaches and friends for supporting him in his Olympic journey.
Armstrong and his brother Jake have the motto “Invictus maneo” tattooed on their biceps and the future olympian said he uses it for added motivation in all aspects of life.
“I’m proud to wear it on my arm and use it as a motto to keep going,” Armstrong said.
As Armstrong prepares to leave for U.S. Olympic training in Hawaii June 27, he said he feels a mix of nerves and excitement for the upcoming practices.
In Hawaii and Tokyo, Armstrong will work closely with Murphy — someone he has idolized throughout his swimming career.
“I am stoked to work alongside Ryan Murphy, he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve met while at the meet,” Armstrong said. “I obviously have a lot to learn from Ryan Murphy, I mean he’s the world record holder. If I want to become as successful as him, then I need to work with him.”
With the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics approaching, Armstrong said he has one goal for his time in Japan: to stand alongside Murphy on the podium with a medal dangling from his neck.
“The United States has an amazing history of 100-meter backstrokers and I want to be a part of that,” Armstrong said. “Hopefully we can 1-2, 1-3 that. However the outcome is, I want to share the podium with Ryan Murphy.”
