Thomas Heilman captured fans attention December of 2021 as a 14 year old, breaking 14 National Age Group Records over 11 days at three different swimming meets. 18 months later, and only 16 years, Thomas became the youngest member of Team USA’s World Championship squad, making it in two events, 100 and 200 meter butterfly — breaking Michael Phelps’ 2001 200 butterfly National Age Group Record in the process.
At 2023 World Championships Heilman shaved more time off his 200 butterfly PB. He made the final and tied for 4th touching the wall in an astounding 1:53.82 — the fastest time for any U.S. male under the age of 18.
In the 100 butterfly prelim Heilman stopped the clock with 51.77, tying for 16th. At his first World Champs Thomas had to do a swim-off (only the 2nd swim-off of his career) with Team Great Britain’s Jacob Peters. Thomas touched the wall in 51.66, getting edged by Peters. A swim-off at World Champs sounds like pain, but if you’re only 16, it’s great developmental experience for the future.
In the 4×100 medley prelims Heilman split 51.61, helping to lift Team USA to a center lane in the final to win gold, the first World Championship gold of his career.
IN THIS PODCAST:
- Heilman talks us through each U.S. Trials race and each World Championships race.
- He talks about his training and racing preparation for big schedules and big events with semis under coach Gary Taylor.
- He talks about the impact Michael Phelps and Caeleb Dressel have had on his career.
- He talks briefly about his college future and potential decision.
- And he shares what his time-off will be like and when he will start his fall training.
HEILMAN PBs AFTER THIS SUMMER:
- 100 Fly – 51.19 – at 2023 U.S. Trials (aka USA Swimming International Team Trials)
- 200 Fly – 1:53.82 – at 2023 World Champs
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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Gold medal at his first world champs. Not bad!
100 fly PB at 15
Andrei Minakov 51.84
Zhuhao Li 51.91
Michael Phelps 53.58
Josh Liendo 53.97
Kristof Milak 54.10
Dare Rose 54.14
Caeleb Dressel 55.18
Shaine Casas 56.42
Matt Temple 59.21
Maxime Grousset 1:02.38
100 fly PB at 16
Andrei Minakov 51.12
Zhuhao Li 51.33
Josh Liendo 52.13
Kristof Milak 52.84
Michael Phelps 52.98
Joseph Schooling 53.18
Caeleb Dressel 53.31
Dare Rose 53.97
Shaine Casas 55.28
Matt Temple 56.10
Maxime Grousset 1:02.38
I find it amusing that Grousset was a 49 100 freestyler and 56 flyer at the age of 20(!)
This really just further reinforces the progress is not linear argument though…
What a great young man! good luck !
…has very grounded parents. That matters a lot in the developmental stages.
good stuff- just wish he would take more than 2 weeks off…his career has the potential to be a long one, it is a marathon, not a sprint and he is at the age where he should be ok with 3-4 weeks off and be in good shape for next summer.
Tbh some people just like to be swimming
until they don’t, and often times that line sneaks up on you and you don’t realize before its too late
I think he is really motivated being so close to a medal as a youngster, a la Phelps in Sydney
One word to describe Heilman: POISE.
He’ll go a long way.
Two thoughts about Cap’n Mel:
1) He had a real “200-fly-guy-mentor-to-mentee” twinkle in his eye for this interview. He clearly enjoyed this.
2) He’s been taking “playing with his beard on camera” lessons from Coleman. Very entertaining!
#2 – makes me sad. I’m trimming that thing down.
Mel: You’re a good sport (regarding point 2). This was one of your best interviews. Your enthusiasm for what this young man has accomplished clearly came through. Sort of like having Mike Troy or Carl Robie (200 Fly Olympic gold winners in the 1960s) talking to you in 1987.
I used to talk to Troy and Beardsley on deck when I was kid….and I do love 200 fly, and appreciate how challenging it is to drop 1.4 seconds (US Trials) then another .7 at WC, swimming that back half under a minute. Thomas had an exceptional summer of gains! Gary Taylor should be mentioned more on this topic. He’s clearly had an impact on Thomas’ swim-IQ.
#2 made me sad too. His form is really lacking, even after multiple lessons
Thomas heilman is the youngest American male swimmer to be on worlds team since Phelps. That just shows the decline of American male swimmers between the years 2001-2023….. Heilman will be next phelps. I predict multiple golds next year
He finished fourth at Worlds. It speaks nothing about other American male swimmers, but about how he is a generational talent.
Didn’t Phelps get 5th at the Olympic games then get a world record and first world gold medal the year after?
….correct. 5th at 2000 OGs and he broke the WR in 2001…the 1:54.58. Heilman was 1:54.54 at 2023 US Trials in June, then 1:53.82 at 2023 WC tying for 4th. (Personally, I think I the WR back in 2001 was a little bit soft. If you’re judging WRs, Milak’s 1:50 2-fly is a beast, a really tough WR-line to catch….)
MP first broke WR in March 01 with 1:54.92, then the 1:54.58 in July 01.
..thx for this. I forgot about the 1:54.92.
Yes
…I don’t think Team USA men in decline. The rest of the world is developing great talent, a trend that’s been happening since the 1980s–which is a positive. Heilman’s among a big crew of young talent rising. I think we’re going to see a lot swimmers wowing us by 2025.
Phelps was an extreme outlier, making the Olympic team at age 15. At the time he was the youngest male Olympian (in any sport) since the 1930s. To act like that is a normal expectation is really silly.
SMH @ calling Heilman the next Phelps. There will never be another Michael Phelps and that’s okay.
He doesn’t have to be the next Phelps, he simply has to be the first Thomas Heilman.
…agreed. Thomas will chart his own path.
This guy is the future of men’s swimming in America!
I wouldn’t level that on his shoulders yet, but I am hopeful for his future. I do think age 16-19 is an interesting development period. I have to keep reminding myself he has swum a 3:43 400y IM and a 19.61 50y free. His range is vast. College will be an interesting transition for him.
He needs to go to Arizona State
His range might best be compared to Seliskar. He wasn’t a flop by any standard (Olympian, multi-individual NCAA champion, NCAA team champion), but it was a little underwhelming.
I feel like this is kind of selling Seli short a bit – dude came within .01 of Dressel’s 200 IM record before Marchand destroyed it and had an insane final NCAAs in SC, qualified for Worlds and Olympics in LC. And from what I understand, had a lucrative consulting job lined up. I bet if he went pro instead and focused on LC we’d have seen him in Fukuoka.
I didn’t intend to sell him short. Correct me if I am wrong though, I think he only qualified for the 200 freestyle at Worlds and Olympics. Potentially even just for the 4×200. He was a 1:55 LC 2 fly in high school. I mean that’s no joke, but he didn’t take it anywhere.
End of the day I’m only comparing them based on versatility. Not success or potential success.
When you’re that fast at a young age, it’s hard to continue improving.
The potential range to improve is definitely smaller. The challenge is probably largely dealing with that psychologically when all of age group swimming is about time drops.
I think Phelps talked about or at least hinted at the frustration of dealing with small or no time drops during the later part of his career even though it was not so noticeable because he was still ahead of everyone else.
Until you are the fastest in the world you have the advantage and motivation of being able to chase the fastest in the world. Milak and Poppi were chasing swimmers older and faster of them until they were the fastest. This is especially true considering the psychological makeup of most elite athletes is “hate losing” more than “like winning.” (this is a rare trait for the general populace but a common trait among elites).
There are at least 7 or 8 guys coming up right now forming a crew that is VERY promising (interesting to note: McFaddin was the first of this up and coming generation to qualify for a worlds team but when we start naming these future talents he isn’t at the top of the list. He should be. All these guys have the talent to do it. The last piece is “finding the wall” when it REALLY counts. McFaddin got that check mark first.). Realistically not all of them will make it to the top of the mountain but odds are that 3 or 4 will. So what I would say is the future of American (male) swimming is a 6:54… Read more »