Josh Kirlew feels good, focused on fun and personal best on Olympic debut

PARIS, France — Josh Kirlew is feeling good about himself and is determined to have fun while attempting to set a new personal best in the men’s 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympic Games.

The Jamaican swimmer, who trains in the United Kingdom and holds a personal best of 54.24 seconds, will compete at the Paris La Defense Arena on Friday at 11:00 am (5:00 am EST).

Kirlew earned his spot at the Olympics through the universality clause as the fastest men’s swimmer from Jamaica. He is aiming to break the national record of 52.31 seconds set by Justin Plaschka at the 2016 World Championships in Windsor, Canada. The world record for the event stands at 49.45 seconds, set by American Caeleb Dressel at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.