Albert Volandel

Albert Volandel (アルベルト・ヴォーランデル Aruberuto Vōranderu) is a swimmer from Sweden who is the current world's record holder in both the 100m and 200m freestyle event.

Appearance
Albert is a Swedish man with light blond hair swept to the left side of his face, with one eye hidden behind his hair. He has purple eyes and pale eyelashes. He has a tall, muscular build.

Personality
Albert holds the world's record in both 100m and 200m freestyle. He is a powerful swimmer who takes competition in stride, even proclaiming that it's fun. He seems to genuinely enjoy competing and taking in the local color of any place in the world that he visits. He's an arcade video game enthusiast and stays cool in that arena, as well, as seen when he plays against Isuzu Mikoshiba and wins. He adapts to new situations quickly (e.g. eating with chopsticks) and enjoys meeting and conversing with people he meets "on the road." Sometimes, he feels confined by the strict regimen developed by his trainer Ralph and sneaks off to be by himself and on his own. He's a genuinely friendly person who doesn't let speaking a different language than those he meets become a barrier to getting to know them, as seen when he meets Haruka Nanase while attending a special training camp. At the conclusion of Free!-Dive to the Future-, the outcome of Haru's final heat is pending, but Haru is seen gaining the lead. Albert is seen listening to the race over the TV, with a smile on his face as the announcer finally states, "Nanase, First Place."

History
Albert meets Haruka at a special training camp for swimmers preparing to compete at the All-Japan Invitational. Haruka doesn't realize who he is but when he sees Albert having difficulty ordering food from a Japanese cafeteria menu, he steps in to assist. They establish a friendly rapport while having lunch together with Haru is surprised to learn that Albert enjoys eating mackerel, like himself. During a recreational swim, they race one another and Haru quickly realizes that Albert is special. Albert admires Haru's swimming style and power telling him, "the water favors you. I can tell." However, it's not until an informal group competition that he learns of Albert's actual identity with said swimmer easily winning and Haru coming in a distant second place. It is at that point that Haru begins to understand that this is the caliber of swimmer he will be competing against at the global level.

Rin Matsuoka is equally warned against swimming with Albert without being fully prepared by his coach, Mikhail Makarovich Nitori, who says Albert's swimming is "out of this world."

Trivia

 * The music playing as background during the unofficial race in which Albert beats Haruka is similar to the theme from Netflix's Stranger Things.
 * His motif animal appears to be the blue whale.
 * His surname is alternatively written as "Wåhlander" by Funimation, but Volandel on KyoAni's official website.