Yuri Kisil

Biography

Yuri Kisil was a triple medallist at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, reaching the podium as part of all three relays, including anchoring the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay to silver. Immediately following, he made his debut at the World Aquatics Championships, winning a bronze medal as part of the inaugural mixed 4x100m freestyle relay. 

Kisil made his Olympic debut at Rio 2016 where he was a semifinalist in the 100m freestyle. He also swam the second leg of the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay that finished seventh. He won two bronze medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships with the mixed 4x100m freestyle and mixed 4x100m medley relays. He posted another top-10 finish in the 100m freestyle and ended the year being Swimming Canada’s Co-Male Swimmer of the Year. 

Kisil earned his first individual international medal at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships where he captured bronze in the 50m freestyle. Earlier in the year he had competed in five finals at the Commonwealth Games, including individually in the 50m and 100m freestyle events. 

In his second Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020, Kisil swam the third leg of the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay that finished fourth, missing the podium by just six-tenths of a second. He also finished seventh with the men’s 4x100m medley relay and was a semifinalist in the 100m freestyle.

At the end of the 2022 season, during which Kisil made his fourth straight appearance at the World Aquatics Championships, he took almost a year away from competition. He returned home to Calgary to make his training base there. Kisil qualified for his third Olympic team by finishing second in the 100m freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Swimming Trials.

A decade earlier, at the 2014 Canadian Trials, Kisil became the youngest Canadian man to ever post a sub 50-second time in the 100m freestyle. He raced in both the 50m and 100m freestyle events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, just missing the podium with a fourth- place finish in the 100m. He was also part of the fourth- place 4x100m medley relay team and fifth- place 4x100m freestyle relay team. He competed in the same events at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, finishing 12th in both individual races and fifth in both relays. Kisil’s first major international meet was the 2013 World Junior Swimming Championships.

A Little More About Yuri

Getting into the Sport: Started swimming at age 8 when his parents made him learn for survival reasons… He realized he had some skill so he stayed with it… Outside Interests: Attended the University of British Columbia… Enjoys kicking back, relaxing, playing guitar and dancing (specifically to Shakira)… Odds and Ends: Always cracks his knuckles before a race… Nicknames: The Missile, Yuri the Mankini, Yuri the Misil Kisil, Hips Don’t Lie… Favourite quote: “I’ve wrestled with an alligator, I’ve tussled with a whale; I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.” – Muhammad Ali…