Who is Thomas Heilman? All about the 17-year-old swimmer who became the youngest male swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since 2000

Thomas Heilman is a 17-year-old American swimmer, who has just made history as the youngest male swimmer to qualify for the Olympics in over two decades. Racing at the U.S Olympic Swimming Trials, the youngster took home the title in the 200m butterfly.

Racing on Wednesday at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Heilman clocked a 1:54.50 that was quite enough to hold off the rest of the field. Finishing behind him was Lucas Urlando, who clocked a 1:55.08.

With this stunning swim that assures the youngster of an Olympic debut at the Paris Games, here is everything you need to know about him.

Thomas Heilman’s family and hometown

Heilman was born to parents Brad and Carrie on February 7, 2007, in Crozet, Virginia. The incoming Olympian has three siblings, two older brothers Jason and Matthew, as well as a younger sister Katherine.

The youngster hails from a sporting background. His grandfather was a footballer at Iowa State, his mother was a basketball player at Holy Cross, and his brother Matthew is a swimmer for the University of Virginia.

Where does Thomas Heilman train?

The 17-year-old currently trains at Cavalier Aquatics, a USA Swimming and YMCA Swim team based in Charlottesville Virginia. Outside of Heilman, three other swimmers from the Cavalier Aquatics qualified for the U.S Olympic Swimming Trials, including David King, Sara Czirjak, and Max Moore.

Who is Thomas Heilman’s coach?

Heilman is currently coached by Gary Taylor, the head coach of the Cavalier Aquatics. As a coach Taylor has worked with Florida State University, NC State University, and Auburn University. In his four years at Florida, he helped swimmers break eight school records.

At NC State, he helped the men’s program to four-straight Atlantic Coast Conference Championship titles and three consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. He also led the women's team to the conference championships in 2017, and coached NCAA Champion Anton Ipsen.

Speaking on working with Thomas Heilman, Taylor once told the Crozet Gazette,

“The way he’s doing what he does, at his age, is just somewhat unheard of. He’s probably as mature as any college athlete I’ve ever worked with from a psychological standpoint. To do what Thomas did at the world level is incredibly mature, and incredibly brave. There aren’t many swimmers, even with 5 and 10 years more experience, who can mentally work through those types of stresses.”

Thomas Heilman's Education

Heilman currently studies at the Western Albemarle High School in Virginia. On October 22, 2023, the youngster announced his verbal commitment to the University of Virginia.

Thomas Heilman's career highlights

Thomas Heilman first marked himself as a threat to watch out for when he was just ten years old, as he stormed to a national age group record in the 100 yard butterfly race. A few years later, the Virginia youngster went on a record breaking spree, setting 14 U.S. event records in the 13-14 age category in December of 2021, in a span of just 11 days.

Building on that momentum, Heilman brought home three golds and three silvers from the 2022 Junior Pan Pac Championships, as well as a world junior record in the 4×100 m freestyle. In 2023, the youngster won his first major medal, clinching a World Championships gold as part of the American 4x100m medley team in Fukuoka.