ARMSTRONG Joseph

General
COLLEGE TRANSFER
In 2020 he transferred to Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, United States of America, from West Virginia University [WVU] in Morgantown in time for the 2020/21 season. He transferred because his older brother Jake, who had swum for WVU, had graduated and he wanted to be closer to home. "I followed him [to WVU] because I saw what West Virginia had done for him and it was a great opportunity. I don't think a lot of people get to be at the same school as their older brother, and he was there to take care of me and walk me through my freshman year of college. But once he left, I realised that I wanted a little bit more from the sport and I knew who could get me there. Not to say West Virginia couldn't. But it was also a little bit nicer to be close to home." (elevenwarriors.com, 29 Jun 2021; ohiostatebuckeyes.com, 01 Jan 2021; swimswam.com, 07 Apr 2020)

TURNING POINT
He says he saw a future in the sport after committing to a training camp his club travelled to in Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States of America, in 2018. "It all started because I wanted to go to Fort Lauderdale and [club coach] Mike [Davidson] told me if wanted to go, I had to commit to the programme and start showing up to more than two practices a week. I just started showing up and I had a really good meet, and then I realised that there might be something here. That trip made me realise my potential in the sport. Before that, I honestly thought high school swimming was as high up as I could get." (usaswimming.org, 19 Jul 2021; thelantern.com, 23 Jun 2021)

TATTOO
He and his older brother Jake have the motto 'Invictus maneo' [Latin for 'I remain unvanquished'] tattooed on their biceps. "I'm proud to wear it on my arm and use it as a motto to keep going." (thelantern.com, 23 Jun 2021)