Van Mathias
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| National team |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 24, 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Breaststroke, Butterfly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Multinomah Athletic Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Indiana University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Van Mathias (born August 24, 2000) is an American swimmer and world record holder. He swam collegiately for Indiana University. He won five medals at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, including three gold medals.
Early life and education
Mathias was born to Chris Mathias and Nabcy Maxwell, and has two brothers, Khalif-Munir Kalahiki and Nabil Kalahiki. He attended Beaverton High School in Portland, Oregon, where he swam for Judy Rusaw.
He swam for the Indiana Hoosiers for five seasons under head coach Ray Looze. After the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships he retired from swimming, and later became the director of operations for the Hoosiers swim and dive program.
Career
In 2025, he returned to part-time training. On June 17, 2026, during the 2026 USA Swimming Pro Swim Series, he set an Americas record in the 50 meter breaststroke with a time of 26.30 seconds. On June 20, 2026, he set an Americas record in the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 58.01 seconds.
In August 2026, he competed at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and won a total of three golds and two silver medals. He won a gold medal in the 100 meter breaststroke with a Pan Pacific Championships record time of 58.02 seconds. He also won gold medals in the 4 × 100 meter medley relay and the 4 × 100 meter mixed medley. During the mixed medley he had a 57.30 split to put the Americans back in world record contention and extend their lead over the field, finishing with a world record time of 3:36.70. He won silver medals in the 50 meter butterfly, with a personal best time of 22.84 seconds, and the 50 meter breaststroke, with a time of 26.42 seconds.
In October 2026, he competed at the 2026 USA Swimming Short Course World Championship trials. During the prelims of the 100 meter breaststroke he set a new U.S. Open and American record with a time of 55.48 seconds. During the final he finished with a world record time of 55.14 seconds.
References
- 1 2 "Indiana University Swimming and Diving, Van Mathias, Bio". Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ Denn, Adam (January 26, 2026). "Double Duty: Van Mathias Balancing Roles as Surging Breaststroke Star and Indiana Director of Ops". Swimming World. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ Zaccardi, Nick (August 12, 2026). "Van Mathias brings a bonkers swimming comeback story to Pan Pacific Championships". nbcsports.com. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ Pelshaw, Anya (June 17, 2026). "Van Mathias Breaks Own American Record With 26.30 50 Breast, Becomes #5 Performer All-Time". SwimSwam. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ Pelshaw, Anya (June 20, 2026). "Van Mathias Breaks Michael Andrew's American Record With 58.01 100 Breaststroke". SwimSwam. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ Garcete, Jessica (June 20, 2026). "How Indiana swimming's Van Mathias balances a full-time job with record swims". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ Hodges, Coleman (August 14, 2026). "Van Mathias on 100 Breast: "I was just trying to get a cut to swim the 50 breast"". SwimSwam. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ Folsom, Madeline (August 13, 2026). "U.S. Breaks Mixed Medley Relay World Record; Buoyed by Mathias 57.3 Breaststroke and Douglass 51.0 Free". SwimSwam. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Van Mathias' 5-medal breakout in the pool". AP News. August 15, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ Stewart, Mel (September 4, 2026). "How Van Mathias Reinvented Himself Into an American Record Holder". SwimSwam. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
- ↑ Folsom, Madeline (October 29, 2026). "Van Mathias Sets New World Record With 55.14 SCM 100 Breaststroke". SwimSwam. Retrieved October 29, 2026.