Finlay Knox

Biography

In 2024, Finlay Knox became the first Canadian man in 17 years to win a gold medal in swimming at the World Aquatics Championships. His victory in the men’s 200m individual medley made him Canada’s first world champion in that event since 1978. At those world championships, he was also part of fourth place finishes in the men’s 4x100m medley relay and the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

A few months earlier, Knox won five medals at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, highlighted by his gold medal in the 200m IM. He also contributed to four relay bronze medals.

Knox first represented Canada internationally at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires where he won bronze in the 200m IM. In 2019, he was a double medallist at the World Aquatics Junior Championships, winning silver in the 200m IM and bronze in the men’s 4x100m medley relay as he swam the anchor freestyle leg. He came close to another medal as Canada finished fourth in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. His 200m IM time of 1:59.44 was (at that time) the second fastest in Canadian history. 

In a High Performance Time Trial in Toronto in May 2021, Knox became the first Canadian ever go under the 1:59 mark in the 200m IM, as he set the national record at 1:58.88. He lowered that national record again at the Olympic Trials for Tokyo 2020 in June 2021, touching the wall in 1:58.07 to secure his spot on the Olympic team. In his Olympic debut, Knox missed advancing to the semifinals of the 200m IM by 0.14 of a second.

Knox trained for and competed at Tokyo 2020 with a fractured scaphoid bone in his wrist. The break occurred eight months before the Games, but he chose to postpone surgery until afterwards, which involved a bone graph from his hip being placed into his hand.

Knox lowered the national record in the 200m IM once again at the 2022 Canadian Trials, winning in a time of 1:57.50. That qualified him to make his debut at the World Aquatics Championships. As at Tokyo 2020, he missed out on the semifinals by one spot. Later in the summer, he competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he won a bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. He missed the podium in the 200m IM by one spot,

In the fall of 2022, Knox won his first Swimming World Cup medal, taking silver in the 200m IM in Toronto. He followed up with 400m IM silver and 200m IM bronze when the circuit moved to Indianapolis. He continued his short course success at the 2022 World Swimming Championships (25m) where he won bronze in both the 100m IM and 200m IM.

At the 2023 Canadian Trials, Knox cut more time off the national record in the men’s 200m IM as he won the event in 1:57.26.

Knox fractured his right ankle six weeks before the 2017 Canada Summer Games and after being in an air boot for five weeks he managed to win five medals with Team Alberta, including gold in the 200m breaststroke, silver in the 100m breaststroke, silver in the 400m IM, and bronze in the 200m IM. 

A Little More About Finlay

Getting into the Sport: Started swimming while living in New Zealand but didn’t start competing until age 8… Also played hockey and didn’t focus on swimming until age 10… Outside Interests: Enjoys skateboarding, rock climbing, golfing, snowboarding, playing pond hockey…Odds and Ends: Mother Abby was on the British national team for cross-country running and biathlon… Moved from Leeds, England to Christchurch, New Zealand at age 2 and then to Canada at age 7… Favourite motto: You will get knocked down, it is whether or not you are willing to get back up…