Apollo Hess says Olympic experience a valuable asset for his swimming future

Apollo Hess marked his Olympic debut with a fifth-place finish in the 4x100 metre mixed medley at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

He's the first Blood Tribe Olympic swimmer who is a member of the Kainai Nation, Alberta. 

Taking risks is what it took for Hess to become an Olympian. Hess saved money to uproot his life from Lethbridge, Alta., to Toronto, to train with Canada's national swimming team.

"I always dreamed about it and it became a reality this year," said Hess. 

Hess has been competing in the pool since the age of 14. At age 22, those years of training paid off at the Paris La Defense Arena.

"Having this experience going forward is super valuable and it'll only help me in the future," said Hess. 

Hess swam alongside Maggie Mac Neil, Blake Tierney, and Taylor Ruck in the first heat of the mixed medley on Aug. 3. He's been learning a lot from the veterans on the team. 

But all the work happened before the Olympics at the High Performance Centre in Toronto. 

"Morning practices. Every single day. So many hours in the gym, in the pool, just so much that goes on that nobody sees," Hess said. "It taught me so much discipline."

Hess takes pride in his Blackfoot heritage and being one of the few Indigenous athletes to compete in swimming for the Olympics.

"It only really pays off like once or twice a year when you have a big competition. So for me, it's just taught me a lot of discipline, hard work," said Hess.

Hess' comes from one of the most inland communities in Canada. 

But for the swimmer, his Black Foot name is 'Mo'tóyáóhkii', which translates to Ocean Boy.

The name was given to him by his late grandfather, Norbert Fox.

 "I think kind of just like my connection to the water and in swimming," said Hess when asked why his grandfather gave him the name.

Home for Hess means Lethbridge, Kainai Nation and Toronto.

"I want everybody from there and from where I'm from to hopefully take away that they can do it too, if they keep working hard," said Hess. 

Hess is a former North American Indigenous Games athlete, winning eight gold and one bronze. He's no stranger to high levels of competition. 

"It's not always easy. There's always obstacles, different trials and tribulations. Sometimes you just gotta put your head down and get through it," said Hess. 

Hess described being away from home as hard sometimes. But coaches, teammates and friends have helped Hess feel welcome and feel like a second home. 

"At first I didn't know anybody, but everybody at the High Performance Centre was so welcoming and just made it feel like a second home", said Hess.

Hess said moving to Toronto away from his family to pursue swimming felt like a gamble, but has no regrets. 

"One thing I know is that I've made it through every single one of my bad days and that just leads me to good days," said Hess. 

Hess also said that his time at the Olympics passed fast. 

"it feels like yesterday that I rolled my bags into the village and now I'm days away from leaving,"

Hess will spend another year in Toronto to continue training with the national swim team. 

After some vacationing, Hess will visit home in Lethbridge, then Kainai Nation before returning to Toronto to keep up his training.

"I really just want to take all the knowledge that I've gained this year and apply it to this next year and see how far I can go," said Hess.