JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When it comes to swimming, Team USA is the dominant force in the pool, but keep an eye out for a swimmer from Austria with ties to the First Coast, he just might swim his way onto the medal stand.
"Every child has the dream," said Martin Espernberger. "If you're into sports and you do it dedicatedly, they want to go to the Olympics."
Espernberger qualified for the finals of the 200-meter butterfly after 1:55.19 time in the preliminary heats where he finished fifth overall, and a 1:54.62 time in the semifinal where he was the final qualifier in eighth.
That dream is now a reality for Espernberger, a swimmer who traveled the world before his path to Paris began. Espernberger is from Austria, but graduated from Bolles in 2022. He went on to swim at Tennessee in college and won the 200 butterfly at the SEC Championships. The 200 butterfly is his specialty and is what he'll swim in Paris.
"My aerobic capacity is just a bit higher than my fast twitch, which you definitely need a little bit more in the 100 (meter) than the 200," said Espernberger.
He's used to reaching the medal stand in the 200 butterfly. His world travels continued this year when he won bronze at the 2024 World Championships in Qatar, an accomplishment that also landed him on national television in Austria.
"It's definitely incredible to reach that and even going in I wasn't sure if I'd make a medal," said Espernberger, "but it was an experience and take that away to the Olympics and the feeling of how many people were there and gathering the experience."
Now he will swim in front of the world at the Olympics. The long journey to Paris started by passing the Murphy Olympic Walk every day on his way to practice at Bolles. The list of Olympic swimmers will soon contain his name.
"It's just crazy because I remember sophomore, junior and senior year just walking by there and being like, 'Yep, I want to be on there one day," said Espernberger.
Espernberger qualified for the finals of the 200m butterfly after 1:55.19 time in the preliminary heats where he finished fifth overall, and a 1:54.62 time in the semifinal where he was the final qualifier in eighth.
Catch Espernberger at 2:37 p.m. in the 200m butterfly final.
