Carson Foster, born in 2001 in Cincinnati, is a swimming prodigy who gained attention after breaking Michael Phelps’ national age group record in the 100m butterfly for swimmers under 10 years old. Foster made his international debut at the 2019 World Junior Championships, where he lived up to expectations by winning four gold medals and one silver. He particularly excelled in the 200-meter individual medley event. Transitioning effortlessly to senior contests, Foster continued showcasing his prowess in the two 2021 and 2022 short-course world championships, where he finished second in the 200m and 400m IM.

He sustained his form during the 2022 long course world championships in Budapest, in which he claimed silver in the two hundred meters and four hundred meters individual medley events and also played a significant part in the men’s 4×200 meters freestyle relay and secured a gold medal win for Team USA. These achievements are not just because of determination and effort, but also because being an athlete is in Foster’s genes, as Carson’s siblings Jake and Hannah Foster are also swimmers.

Carson Foster and the Foster siblings: A dynasty of competitive swimmers

Carson Foster comes from a family that has immersed itself in competitive swimming. Jake and Hannah Foster are his siblings, who are also elite swimmers and have made a lot of achievements in swimming. Jake Foster, similar to Carson, is a successful swimmer at the University of Texas. The two brothers, who were introduced to swimming individually, have always competed with each other on the level of challenge.

“We grew up playing other sports, but (Hannah) was on the swim team and we got dragged along,” Jake said. Foster’s elder sister, Hannah Foster, who was the first of the Foster siblings to bring the brothers into the sport, also vividly described her experiences. She was the first one to sign up for a swim team, and because of her example, Jake and Carson signed up too.

Even though the public does not hear as much about Hannah as they do about her brothers, Hannah has been instrumental in the development of her and her brother’s swimming careers. They first started swimming to learn how to swim in water, and the next thing they knew, swimming became their love and their life.

The healthy competition between Jake and Carson

The development of both brother’s skills has been significantly influenced by training together. Jake and Carson Foster frequently discuss how their competition as siblings has benefited their abilities. The Foster brothers quickly realized that they both performed better when training together. The competitive spirit and desire to challenge one another motivated the brothers.

“The competition we have between each other is really healthy,” Jake said. “If we did not have each other to push each other, I don’t think that we would be at the level that we are with swimming. The competition was one of the big reasons why we both ended up coming to Texas,” he continued to mention.

After Jake decided to attend the University of Texas, it didn’t take Carson much time to follow suit. When Jake left, the siblings realized that their workout routine had changed. “I was lucky to have a really good training group at home, but to lose your best training partner and best friend is hard, and I had to really focus on pushing myself and relying on my coach,” Carson said. Even though Carson is no longer able to break national age group records due to his age, both brothers are prepared for a bright future.