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Olympic Swimmer on Faith: ‘Every Day, I’m a Christian’

Olympic Swimmer on Faith: ‘Every Day, I’m a Christian’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong relies on his faith to get him through each day. 

“Faith is my life,” Armstrong told Fox News. “Obviously, growing up in the church, going to church camps, all the normal stuff, but as I got older, I sort of drifted away from it — always a believer, but I wasn’t buying into it. I didn’t have a relationship with God, and that’s something I felt like I was taking advantage of Him for because I’d only remember about faith when I needed it, and that’d be in competition, when I’m stressed out or I’m worrying. That’s when I’d pray.”

The swimmer has since dedicated his life to Christ, praying in the good times and the bad. 

“I don’t see myself in my day-to-day life as an Olympian,” Armstrong said. “But every day, I’m a Christian. When I’m competing, I’m a Christian Olympian.”

Armstrong took home a gold and a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, and the swimmer continues to prioritize his faith. 

“I keep God as a priority,” he told Baptist Press. “I can’t really live without Him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”

In an interview given before his Olympic events, Armstrong said, “Obviously, I want to have a great performance for myself, my country, and my teammates. 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.”

Movieguide® previously reported on Armstong’s faith:

Olympic gold medal swimmer Hunter Armstrong is sharing how he brings his faith to the pool.

“Every time I swim, I point up to the sky because it’s God first. Like none of this matters without Him, and you know, it got to the point where…it became a habit, just part of the pre-race ritual, and I didn’t like that,” Armstrong said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast.

He explained that while sends up a quick prayer before every race, he doesn’t necessarily do it after if he doesn’t win, a habit he changed going into the 2024 World Championship.

“That was something that I made an effort toward this year is you don’t only accept everything that comes with it when you win,” Armstrong continued. “You can’t be upset and be like, ‘Oh shoot. He didn’t answer my prayer.’ Because that’s where things get shady.”

“Michael [Phelps] was racing against me in the fifty back at Worlds,” he said. “Like we’re both praying. Not to necessarily win. I’ve sort of changed my prayer because I don’t want to ever say, ‘Please God, let me win.’”

“My prayer before every race is, ‘Give me the strength to do my best and may whatever I do bring glory to your name,’” he revealed


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