Tom Luchsinger is an American butterflier and a member of the 2013-2014 US National Team. He qualified for the 2013 World Championships and posted the fastest 200m butterfly from an American in 2013.
Tom Luchsinger’s 2013 U.S. National Championship 200m Butterfly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_RW4YIMaj8
Luchsinger attended Mount Sinai High School in Mount Sinai, New York, where he swam for ThreeVillage Swim Club. After graduating high school in 2009 he went on to swim at the University of North Carolina.
College
Luchsinger attended the University of North Carolina where he majored in Exercise and Sport Science and finished fifth at the 2013 NCAA Championships in the 200 butterfly. In 2011, he also finished in 8th place in the 400 IM at the NCAA Championships.
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
In 2012, he finished in the top 20 in three separate events at the 2012 US Olympic Team Trials (12th 200m butterfly, 14th 200m freestyle, 19th 400m freestyle).
2013
In 2013, he won the 200 butterfly at the World Championship Trials to earn a spot on the World Championship team and book his ticket to Barcelona. He posted the fastest 200 butterfly of any American swimmer in 2013. At the World Championships in Barcelona, he recorded a fifth place finish in the 200 butterfly.
2014
Tom Luchsinger struggled over 2014 and did not make the 2014 U.S. Pan Pacific Team. Luchsinger was wrestling with a personal issue and felt he needed to be true to himself. In December 2014 the NBAC swimmer officially came out as a gay elite athlete in an essay on Out Magazine. Read it here.
SwimSwam caught up with Luchsinger at the 2015 Arena Pro Swim Series and asked him to share his testimonial on-camera. See the video interview here: