Fresh off a standout NCAA career, Canadian swimmer Josh Liendo is poised make waves at L.A. Olympics

There is this finite window in the life of a high-performance athlete, a small timeframe when the world is watching — usually during the Olympics — to cash in on success and maximize on physical capability. When there's an urgency to win now because there are no guarantees.

For some, it’s an Olympic cycle or two. If they’re lucky, maybe more. For others, it never fully materializes. Wrong place at the wrong time.  

The clock is always ticking. Athletes are always getting faster and hungrier. The gaps close quickly. 

And if there are any setbacks along the way — sickness, injury, extended time away — that window quickly gets smaller. 

Canadian swimmer Josh Liendo feels he’s finally found his sweet spot. But not without some turbulence he would later realize was crucial to his development. 

Everything he’s endured, worked for, strived for and built toward has led him to this moment. Now just two years away from the L.A. 2028 Olympics, where Liendo believes he’ll be at his peak superpowers.

“I'm not going to put a limit on it. I'm going to fight. I'm going to race. I'm going to go for as many wins as I can. That's just that's just the mentality that I have,” he said. 

And when he says it, you believe him.

‘I just want to dominate’: Inside Josh Liendo's world

The 23-year-old is brimming with confidence, buoyed by a remarkable conclusion to his NCAA career at the University of Florida, which saw Liendo win three individual titles; he won a record-tying fourth consecutive 100-yard freestyle title and ninth title overall. 

With school now in the rear-view mirror, his eyes are squarely fixed on the big prize — capturing an elusive international gold medal in one of his marquee events at the L.A. Games. At Paris 2024, he became