Javier Acevedo

Javier Acevedo (born January 28, 1998) is a Canadian competitive swimmer. He competes primarily in the backstroke events. Acevedo won two bronze medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships as part of both the mixed 4×100 m freestyle relay and the 4×100 m mixed medley relay. He has also won a gold medal at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in the 4×100 m mixed freestyle relay and a silver in the 50 m backstroke. Acevado was a former Junior world record holder in the 100 m backstroke event.

The 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships were Acevado's first opportunity to compete for the national team on a world stage. At the junior championships he won the silver medal in the 50 m metre backstroke, while setting a personal best. This was his first individual international medal, Acevado said that "I touched the wall properly which helped get the silver in a very tight race. It was very important because I know that I will have more out speed the next time I do it. I made sure I was mentally prepared before the race. I was confident." As part of Canada's mixed 4×100 m relay team at the junior worlds, he was the gold medal winner and world junior champ. He swam in that final together with Markus Thormeyer, Penny Oleksiak, and Taylor Ruck.

He set the Junior world record in the 100 m backstroke on his way to qualifying for the event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the Canadian Olympic Trials. In 2016, he was named to Canada's Olympic team for the 2016 Summer Olympics where he swam to a 17th place finish in the 100 m backstroke, failing to qualify for the semi-finals. He was the youngest male swimmer on Canada's Olympic team at these games, competing at the age of 18.

Acevedo was next named to Canada's 2017 World Aquatics Championships team in Budapest, Hungary. He made it through to the semi-finals but finished with the 14th best time and out of the finals. On the same day he would compete in the 4×100 m mixed freestyle relay helping the team to a bronze. In regard to racing twice in the same night and still performing well enough to medal, Acevado said that "It was pretty difficult, but I've done a lot of work in my training to be able to do that kind of stuff...I just had to work hard and get through it." Acevado also competed in the 50 m backstroke, but once again failed to qualify for the finals finishing 16th in the semi-finals.

As of July 30, 2017