At 17, Virginia Swimmer Breaks Michael Phelps’ 24-Year Record Streak

Thomas Heilman becomes a part of history at the hyped Lucas Oil stadium. Competing in the 200m fly discipline, the swimmer from Virginia has now broken Michael Phelps’ streak. Heilman has become the youngest to clinch an Olympic ticket at 17 years, a streak that was unbroken since 2000 when Michael Phelps and Aaron Piersol qualified as the youngest. Heilman looked sublime in his execution as he clinched the top spot in the trials with a time of 1:54.50s. 

Competing alongside Heilman, Luca Orlando followed suit as he clocked 1:55.08s. Well, this year’s Olympic trials have been wild. Records have shattered within days, leading to an elevated hype among the fans. Just 24 hours ago, it was Luke Whitlock who was the youngest to qualify for the games at 18 years. But Heilman’s 200m dash in the water was like a bolt from the blue, mesmerizing the crowds as he basked in Olympic glory. Acknowledging his victory, Pat McAfee, the renowned American sports analyst seemed utterly excited as he issued a warning to the rest in his latest X post. McAfee’s post read, “This is what a 17 year old American swimmer looks like.. Shahtaht Thomas Heilman GOOD LUCK REST OF THE WORLD WE OWN THE POOL”

Heilman has always been a promising talent. The teenager has competed in various swimming disciplines so far holding significant success. Heilman holds the junior world record in the 4x100m freestyle relay while notching up several golds at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships. Heilman followed up his success by clinching the World Championship gold 4x100m medley back in 2023, to take his gold tally to 4. And now with a ticket to Paris sealed, Heilman would definitely like to add more accolades to further ornament his career. Just like the legendary Michael Phelps did after qualifying as the youngest in 2000. 

Michael Phelps’ career took off after his feat in 2000 

Michael Phelps was only 15 years old when he clinched his Olympic tickets in 2000. While Phelps could not garner enough success initially, the carnage that followed made him a legend. Starting from the Athens Olympics, Phelps began to grow in stature, smashing records at will. Phelps ended Athens with 6 gold medals which was overtaken at the Beijing games as he clinched 8. By the time Phelps decided to bid adieu to the waters, he had 23 Olympic medals in his kitty. 

But it was not only the Olympics that Phelps dominated. Competing in all the major championships, Phelps ended with 66 gold, 14 silver, and 3 bronze medals to seal his status as the undisputed king. And while Thomas Heilman has broken Phelps’ streak as the youngest to qualify for Paris, we might be in line to witness the emergence of yet another ‘Flying Fish’ in the Paris Olympics.