Upper St. Clair man advances to semi-final in Paris Olympics 200m Breaststroke

Today at Upper St. Clair High School, there will be a lot of cheering going on.

Josh Matheny, a 2021 graduate, is gearing up to compete in the 200 Meter Breaststroke.

Matheny’s first heat was scheduled for after 7 a.m. Tuesday. He advanced to the semi-finals, which are just before 4 p.m.

Channel 11 spoke with Matheny and his parents ahead of their trip to Paris.

His mother Kristin Matheny said the support from the Pittsburgh area has been strong.

“Pittsburgh, I know, is sort of a football city, but they’ve definitely come out behind their swimmers,” she said.

That’s evident by all of the signs around Josh Matheny’s Upper St. Clair neighborhood wishing him luck.

He said he can feel the love all the way across the world.

“The amount of support from everybody has still just been unwavering, and I love to see it,” he said.

Years before Josh wore the Stars and Stripes, he was the little brother tagging along at swim meets for his two older sisters.

“Just because he was there as the third child, he got signed up and turned out, he actually liked it,” Kristin Matheny said.

Though Josh’s swim career started as a way to keep the family in one place, it quickly became an Olympic dream.

Those closest to him, like coach Dave Schraven, realized that dream could become a reality sooner rather than later.

Schraven coached Josh at Upper St. Clair and Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics.

“Just the drive to be the best,” Schraven said of Josh. “Josh has always aspired to get to the top at whatever level he’s been at.”

Sometimes, athletes find that motivation in unique places.

Kristin Matheny recalls one moment in particular when her son was 14 and about to swim at a futures meet.

“We were going to the meet, and he said, ‘look, if I get an Olympic trial cut, I really want a bearded dragon,’” she said. “I thought he was seven seconds off the cut, and I was like sure.”

Josh made the Olympic trial cut, and Gandalf the bearded dragon lives in the family’s kitchen.

“After that, I never bet against him in a race,” Kristin Matheny said with a smile.

Now, Gandalf and the rest of the Matheny family will watch Josh chase his Olympic dream in Paris.

Those closest to him say he’s a big race swimmer, and they can’t wait to see it on the world stage.

“He just loves to race,” said Jeff Matheny, Josh’s dad. “Put him in the water in a big meet, in a big race and he’s tough to beat.”

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