Zach Harting- 4 Feet From Glory
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.- In sports that are timed one-hundredth or even a tenth of a second can determine between winning and losing. For those not participating in those athletic events, those milliseconds are difficult to comprehend and understand just how short of time those units really are. For Zach Harting, he was a mere 0.57 seconds, or four feet from glory of making his second consecutive U.S. Olympic Swim Team.
The former Bob Jones Patriot finished fourth in the finals of the 100m butterfly event at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Team Trials held in Indianapolis, Ind. thus just missing out on making the team set to partake in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The 26-year old Harting also finished eighth in the 200m butterfly thus ending his quest to make the team as he did four years ago for the Tokyo Olympics where he finished ninth just .04 of a second from the finals in the 200m butterfly.
“I performed my best and there was a lot of emotions during the trials, but not a sad emotion of missing my spot on the team as I have no regrets,” said Harting after the competition. “As I drove away from Lucas Oil Stadium most of my emotions were geared to what I had accomplished as an athlete. I’ve had a great life. I’ve earned my education, traveled the world representing my country and even met my wife through swimming. There was no sadness.”
Upon graduating from Bob Jones as the state’s No. 1 swim prospect winning two individual state championships he chose to sign with the University of Louisville where he would earn All-American honors during his time with the Cardinals. Since that time he is a two-time World Champion earning gold medals in both the 4×200 freestyle relay and 4×100 medley relay where he swam the butterfly portion of the four-man team event. Those performances led his coaches to encourage him to concentrate on the 100m butterfly race.
“I used to be the 200 guy and saw the 100 for fun, but now, I swim the 100 and do the 200 just because I can,” said Harting. “At first, I struggled with the idea, but I soon took to the notion of making the 100 my race filled with confidence.”
Attending the trials knowing you must perform your best can get even the best athletes in a state of mind they each don’t know how to handle. For Harting, the event was stressful and he couldn’t sit back and take a short nap because of his constant raised heart rate. He and many family members and friends were at the trials as “one.” He had support and the confidence, which had grown immensely since the World Championships in February winning his gold medals.
“Ever since then I never took anything for granted,” said the son of Scott and Lori Harting. “When the 100 was over, I said to myself, wow, I’m done. I knew I gave it my best and I can smile and hold my head up. The next day, I ran into several former Olympians and they asked how I was handling the fact I did not make the team. They quickly saw I was handling just perfectly and I saw I was part of a great Olympic community.”
Harting has decided to retire from the 200m event. He added, “With 25 meters to go I knew my goose was cooked. I knew I was in trouble, but I still fought for it.” He remains undecided if he will continue to swim the 100m. If he does, the next event for him to compete will be in the Short Course World Championships set to be held in Budapest come December. “If I don’t feel good about a decision to do so, I’ll pass on my chance, retire and let someone else have the honor,” he added. “It’s sad, but it’s very important others know I’m OK. Failure is not bad. Months ago I had an epiphany moment where I saw that I have sacrificed a lot, but know life goes on.”
Earning his degree of mechanical engineering in 2019 and a master’s in engineering management a year later, the former Madison Dolphins and Huntsville Swim Association swimmer has been working fulltime since March, 2023 for Buffalo Construction Company based in Louisville as a project engineer. His company was involved in building Hotel Indigo located in Huntsville’s MidCity. The company was a huge supporter of Harting’s attempt at making another Olympics team as he worked his swim workout schedule around his work schedule training with the Louisville swim team. He also lifted weights at night after a full day’s work.
Harting and his wife, Alina Kendzior, once a swimmer for Louisville, live in Louisville proper and currently have no plans to move to another location. For the last few years he has made a living by swimming for Team USA qualifying for funding through the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming. “I never wanted to swim for money, but it was a great extra benefit,” added Harting.
Looking back on a tremendous swim career, which began at age seven at Madison’s Dublin Memorial Park, Harting is taking away a lifetime of experiences. He said his father mentioned to him a lot of people came to see him swim and were never disappointed as many of them cared enough to make the trip to the Olympic Trials in support.
“The amount of people who have congratulated me and indicated they really enjoyed watching me swim has been enormous,” said Harting. “It was then when I realized what kind of positive impact I have made.”
Harting may still tread water because that’s what he has been trained to do, but he knows he was just four feet from glory…again.
