Artistic swimmer Kenny Gaudet can now dream of going to the Olympics: 'I'm part of this journey'

On the day before the International Olympic Committee moved to allow men to compete in artistic swimming at the Olympics in 2024 and beyond, American Kenny Gaudet was reflecting on what his presence in the formerly all-female sport would mean for the future.

"What a male can bring... I feel like what I do complements the girls: I'm adding this strength, backing them up," the 18-year-old told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.

"If the male is worth being on the team and he helps bring up the team, [then] put him in.”

The move by the IOC was revealed by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) and will permit teams to have up to two male competitors.

While the Olympic green light is new, men are allowed to pariticipate in certain disciplines at World Aquatics international and world championship events. Gaudet competed in the mixed duet and men’s solo events during the most recent international season, placing fifth at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships with partner Claudia Coletti.

The teenager has Olympic aspirations and a myriad of goals set out before him, and says that those accomplishments can only bolster the sort of change he wants to see in the sport – and what it means for him and other men to compete in it.

“I think the path we're on right now is definitely a positive one. I feel like I'm part of that journey,” he said. “I want to get the results high enough to be able to advocate and promote male equality in the sport.”

Kenny Gaudet on artistic swimming: ‘I love this sport’

Gaudet (pronounced gah-day), who grew up in Florida, said his family shielded him as a young boy from a lot of the criticism he faced as a male in artistic swimming, while also participating in cheerleading.

He said in his near decade in the sport that the tide has slowly turned, and that male swimmers are now seen in a positive light for what Gaudet believes is what all swimmers should be considered on: Their skill and merit.

“I did get bullied growing up for this at school, and it really hurt me. I couldn't handle it then,” he recalled. “Why do I have to explain why I am doing something that I love? I love this sport. Why do I have to explain that to you?”

He continued: “It's definitely grown past me and I've grown up from it and I don't get [the bullying] that much now.”

He and Coletti placed fifth in the mixed duet (in both technical and free) at Worlds in 2022, while Gaudet has also competed on the global stage at World Series events in men’s solo, winning 10 international medals overall.

But neither mixed duet nor male solo has been added to the Olympic programme, however, instead with the aforementioned two (out of 10) team spots being made available for males at the Games for each participating nation.

It’s a strength of his, Gaudet says, in supporting his female teammates. He stands six feet tall and has a massive wingspan. His movements are different in the water, and he’s working on his core skills with the U.S. national team in Los Angeles to be a more supportive member of the underwater movement.

“I feel I know there's more I can always give and there's more I can always improve on,” a reflective Gaudet said. “I'm not perfect. I'm nowhere near perfect. So I always want to keep striving for that throughout my career.”

Blazing trails – and a friendship with Bill May

The aforementioned mixed duet community is one that Gaudet has taken to as he’s had the opportunity to travel for the World Series and world championships. At Worlds in 2022, 13 different countries fielded mixed duet teams from five different continents.

Mixed duet features one male and one female competitor swimming side-by-side, and was added to the international programme by World Aquatics in 2015. 

“The mixed duet community is this little bubble... everyone knows each other and it's so fun,” he explained. “Meeting up with [other competitors], getting to know them, learning about their journeys. It's one of the greatest things I've experienced.”

Another American, Bill May, was the first male to win a world championship title in artistic swimming, in 2015. He spoke out in support of the IOC move earlier this week, saying that the inclusion of men in the sport at the Olympics was once “considered the impossible dream.”

Gaudet has seen May as a mentor and coach, attending a junior camp that May put on in early 2019 as Gaudet began rising at the national level in juniors. Instead of trying to emulate May’s success, Gaudet says he’s only trying to carry on the work that he did.

“I remember when I met him at that junior camp, I was so nervous because he’s my idol,” Gaudet said, laughing. “He’s a great leader. I really look up to him.”

“I don’t want to copy or repeat his legacy,” he added of May. “I want to set my own. I want to be proud of what I swim and what I achieve. The more I show I can have better results, do more and be better... then I can advocate more and show this is why men can be in this sport and this is why we should be allowed to do these things.”

Kenny Gaudet: Levelling up – and not looking back

It was in late 2021 that Gaudet decided to move cross-country from Florida: First to the Bay Area and then to LA, where Andrea Fuentes, the head coach of the U.S. program, trains her squad on the campus of UCLA.

“I was very nervous coming here because before I moved, I was only spending maximum six hours in the pool a week... now I’m in there six days for seven to eight hours a week,” he shared. “I was scared, but I have really liked how the coaches have pushed me while also accommodating to what I needed.”

“This has been a big step up for me.”

Gaudet remains the only man on the national team, though there are juniors that he says are on their way up, namely Michael Chan, a 15-year-old who won the world mixed duet title this past season at the junior level.

“I really can’t wait to see his future and what it holds for him,” Gaudet said of Chan. “The stereotyping of artistic swimming has gone down a lot. In Santa Clara, there’s a full men’s team – they have enough guys for that.”

It’s the kind of slow change that Gaudet believes he’s a small part of, with the IOC announcement a symbol of that.

“I definitely feel like one of... like kind of a trailblazer for the sport,” he said. “It's still not fully equal to the point of men in [all] the events that we can swim. I'm finally training team because I have the chance to swim team, which I know is a big thing for all the guys in the world.”

He continued: “That's why I think all the guys in the sport are really strong at is like doing what we love and being in this sport. I’m proud of that.”