Philip Heintz, a three-time Olympian in swimming for Germany, is retiring.
After his International Swimming League team, the New York Breakers, finished third in the play-in match on Thursday, Heintz posted a photo on Instagram of his teammates wishing him a happy retirement.
Heintz owns the German record in both the long course and short course 200-meter individual medley, his signature event. He said the long course record at 1:55.76 in 2017 and the short course record at 1:51.92 in 2016.
The 30-year-old competed in the 200 IM at the 2012 Olympic Games, going 2:01.32 in prelims. Four years later in Rio, he finished sixth overall in the event, going 1:57.48. Heintz finished 13th in the event in Tokyo.
At the 2016 short course World Championships, Heintz won silver in the 200 IM.
He also has five short course European Championships medals, including two gold: Heintz won the 200 IM in 2013 and 2017, took silver in 2015 and bronze in 2019, and took silver in the 400 IM in 2017. At long course Euros, he picked up a silver medal in the 200 IM in both 2014 and 2018 and took bronze in the 4×100 medley relay as a prelims swimmer in 2018.
Heintz competed for the Aqua Centurions in seasons 1 and 2 of the ISL before joining the Breakers. He entered season 3 as the No. 3-ranked male 200 IMer in the league.
Correction: Heintz is a 3-time Olympian, not 2-time. He competed in the 200 IM in Tokyo, finishing 13th in the semifinals.
Legend. 1:55 is no joke- still only a handful of people who have ever gone that fast. Best wishes to him going forward.
Best of luck in all of your future endeavors
ER WAR EIN HERVORRAGENDER SCHWIMMER UND, WENN DIE WAHRHEIT GESAGT WURDE, EIN UNGLAUBLICH NETTER HERR!
Diese Kommentarsektion steht nun unt- wait no im not even German why would I say that
Happy Retirement, remember seeing some fast swims at the Swim Open in Stockholm over the years