Christopher Pelant entered the world of competitive swimming at the age of six. A Southern California native, he began his swimming career after having an operation on his legs. To avoid permanent wheel chair inhabitance, the doctors had to reposition his feet on his ankles. After two months of full leg casts, Christopher had to re-learn how to walk with physical therapy, which included sessions in the pool. It was there that Pelant found comfort in the water and began a love of the sport that has lasted over four decades.

Christopher had a highly successful age group swimming career. He was the fastest swimmer in the United States multiple times, across numerous events and age groups. He broke four Southern California Swimming Records, one which stood for 19 years. He qualified for the Junior Nationals at the age of 14 and USA Nationals at the young age of 16. Christopher, additionally, represented the United States in Paris, France, as the Captain of the USA National 18 & under Team.  His success in high school earned him a full scholarship to the Division I Southern Illinois University.

While at SIU, Christopher was a multiple Missouri Valley Conference Champion and Record Holder. In addition to being an All-American and Academic All-American, he was named Varsity Captain, MVP and given the Spirit Award.  Additionally, SIU and the Missouri Valley Conference named Chris Pelant as an All-Centennial Athlete, one of the best athletes in their chosen sports over the last 100 years. 

Notable Swim Accomplishments

• USA Olympic Trials Qualifier
• USA Olympic Festival Captain & Finalist
• USA National Jr. Team Captain & Finalist (Paris, France)
• USA Swimming All Time Top 100 Times List (Multiple & Current)
• USA Nationals Finalist
• USA National Age Group Champion
• USA Jr. National Champion
• USA Nationally Ranked Age Group Swimmer (multiple #1’s)
• USA Western Zone Champion, Captain & Record Holder
• World University Games Qualifier
• Missouri Valley Conference Champion & Record Holder
• Eastern Independent Conference Champion
• Southern Illinois University—All Centennial
• Southern Illinois University—Multiple All-American Performances
• Southern Illinois University Men’s Team—Captain/MVP/Spirit Award
• Southern California Swimming Record Holder (multiple)
• ‘USA Today’, International Edition—Featured Athlete
• ‘ESPN’ Featured Athlete of the Week
• ‘ESPN’ Olympic Festival Featured Athlete
• ‘Sports Illustrated Magazine’ Featured Athlete
• ‘Swimming World Magazine’ Featured Athlete of the Month
• ‘Splash Magazine’ 1st Edition Featured Athlete of the Month
• CIF Finalist
• Buena Ventura Swim Club—Record Holder/Award Winner
• Buena High School—Captain/MVP/Record Holder/Spirit Award

As a Coach, Pelant has developed hundreds of athletes of all ages and abilities to their next level of swimming.  Prior to starting Victory Swim Team, Coach Chris had over 2 decades of coaching experience, most notably for Team Santa Monica, UCLA, Tennessee Aquatics and Rose Bowl Aquatics.  Additionally, he has been a Southern California Western Zone & SCS All-Star Coach.  Over the years, He has had the opportunity to coach every age and category of swimmer. Many swimmers that Pelant developed have gone on to be top swimmers in their pursuits, including but not limited to, the last two Olympic Games (2016 & 2021), Paralympic Games, collegiate programs (including top Division I programs), professional swimming and triathlete competiton, plus US Masters Nationals and US Masters Word Record Holders.  Coach Pelant’s niche is his ability to connect to swimmers of all backgrounds & ages and inspire them to reach their various and diverse goals. His approach is to inspire confidence in swimmers through improvement in technique, aerobic capacity and competition, while increasing the swimmers’ love and knowledge of sport. His technical expertise and authentic enthusiasm prove an enjoyable combination for those he trains.

GO VICTORY!!