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| Zach
HARTING |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
United States
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| Gender | Men |
| Born | 27 Aug 1997
in Madison, AL, USA |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Louisville, KY, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
Huntsville Swim Association [USA] / Cardinal Aquatics [USA]: |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Mechanical Engineering - University of Louisville: United States |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Cooking. (wlky.com, 06 Sep 2021) |
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
"When I step up on the blocks, I pull the block and then I put my foot on the block and jam that, just make sure it's not going to slide on me. I've seen that happen on other people, doesn't look fun, don't want it to happen to me." (American Water Works YouTube channel, 26 Aug 2021) |
Famous relatives |
His sister Nichole competed in athletics [javelin throw] for the University of South Alabama during the 2020/21 US college season. His partner Alina Kendzior has represented the Russian Federation and Estonia in swimming, including competing for Estonia at the 2016 European Championships in London, England. She also swam for the University of Louisville in the United States of America. (s3.amazonaws.com, 19 Mar 2021; usajaguars.com, 01 Jan 2021; fina.org, 01 Jan 2020; gocards.com, 01 Aug 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 13 Dec 2021) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
His mother taught him how to swim. While learning, he would defy his mother's instructions by diving under the surface of the water. "I loved going under the water doing breaststroke pulls, swimming on top without getting my head under wasn't nearly as much fun." |
General Interest |
Ambitions |
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (American Water Works YouTube channel, 26 Aug 2021) |
Sport Specific Information |
Training Regime |
"I swim nine practices a week at roughly 54,000 yards give or take, more during the summer of long course, and a little bit less sometimes during the fall and spring." |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began swimming at age five while living in Guam. He joined a swimming club when he moved back to Alabama, United States of America. "We moved to Madison, Alabama, when I was a second-grader, and that's when I joined a club team and really started swimming." |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
The Dark Knight (Facebook profile, 02 Dec 2021) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"My strengths are time management and getting things done. I believe hard work brings success and cutting corners brings disappointment." (RISE Athletes Facebook page, 04 Nov 2021) |
Other information |
CARING FOR HIS PARENTS
In June 2020 he returned to his parents' home in Alabama after his dad, Scott Harting, was diagnosed with kidney failure. His mother, Lori, turned out to be an eligible kidney donor for her husband, and they underwent transplant surgery in August that year. He balanced his training with looking after his parents as they recovered. His mother Lori said, "It was almost like he was our personal doctor. He just went in with a plan as though it was nothing to worry about. He handled everything and made it all seamless. He used his engineering mindset and got behind every number, every stat, all the medicine. He created spreadsheets to stay on top of the details and never stopped asking questions, and the truly amazing thing was he was able to do all of this and still train at a very high level." (usaswimming.org, 07 Dec 2020)
BATMAN ANTICS
He has become known for amusing antics in and out of the pool, including playing his guitar at full volume inside his university's swimming hall at 06:00 prior to training, bringing a gas can full of water to swimming meets instead of a water bottle, or doing handstands and flips into the pool before practice. He has also dressed up as Batman at meets, and in 2016 he walked out at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, NE, dressed as the superhero as the announcer introduced him as the 'Dark Knight'. "We're performers at the core, so I put on a show. I asked my coach beforehand, because I wanted to make sure if it was cool with him. I was swimming for the university and I didn't want to make the university look bad. His words were, 'If you're going to do that then you have to deliver. You can't do that and go slow'. I had a good swim and ended up seventh. It kind of started out as a joke, I'm a huge Batman fan, big into superheroes. When they called me the Dark Knight, I heard [the cheer] was louder than [for Michael] Phelps. I had never really had a cheer that big before. I did take [the Batman suit] to [the 2020 Olympic Games in] Tokyo and got a picture with it in front of the rings. It was kind of cool full circle moment for me." (USO YouTube channel, 08 Dec 2021; American Water Works YouTube channel, 26 Aug 2021; Instagram profile, 03 Aug 2021; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 25 Nov 2018; swimswam.com, 02 Jul 2016)
RACE STATEGY
He specialises in the 200m butterfly event and backs himself to finish strongly over the second half of the race. "Butterfly works [for me] because I like how it feels powerful and it feels fast. I've always liked that component of it. I'm not going to say it's the hardest stroke, but it's kind of the hardest stroke. I like that the [200m] is this monster of an event. It's cool to say, 'This is my event'. I like how there's a balance, it's not a sprint, but it's not not a sprint, and if you can sprint at the end, you've got a good shot. Typically, if I'm behind a body length at the 125, I can get them. People die, go vertical and I fly by. It's not a foolproof system, but it works for me. But no matter what your strategy is for this race, chances are high that it's going to hurt." He initially started at three kicks off the wall following each turn in the 200m butterfly, then got up to six in his second year at university, and in 2020 was up to eight kicks off the wall. However, he believes he still has room to improve. "Even at this last ISL [2020], I was told my underwaters are trash. It's a constant work in progress." (usaswimming.org, 07 Dec 2020; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 25 Nov 2018)
MENTORING
In 2020 he joined RISE Athletes, a training and mentoring services established by US swimmers Caroline Burckle and Rebecca Soni. "Throughout my swimming career I've looked up to my upperclassmen and captains. I really value all the d |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Partner Alina Kendzior |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 9 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
200m Butterfly |
1:55.35 |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 11 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
200m Butterfly |
1:56.81 |
| 6 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
100m Butterfly |
51.68 |
| 1 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:29.80 |
| 6 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
200m Butterfly |
1:55.69 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2022 |
Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
200m Butterfly |
1:51.86 |
| Heats |
2021 |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
200m Butterfly |
1:52.40 |
| 1 |
2021 |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
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| 5 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
200m Butterfly |
1:51.57 |
| 4 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
6:49.84 |
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 5 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
52.02 |
| 2 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
200m Butterfly |
1:56.26 |
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