Thomas Heilman Comes Within a Tenth of 17-18 National Age Group Record in the 200Y Fly

2024 Commonwealth Cup

• November 8-10, 2024
• SwimRVA-CSAC, Richmond, Virginia
• Short Course Yards, Prelims/Finals
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Commonwealth Cup”

17-year-old U.S. Olympian Thomas Heilman swam a best time in his best event, the 200 yard fly, on Saturday evening at the 2024 Commonwealth Cup.

That just-misses National Age Group Record in the event that was previously a 1:40.39 set in 2022 by Aiden Hayes, who went on to become the 2023 NCAA Champion in that event. Hayes set the record as a freshman at NC State at the 2022 ACC Championships.

Ilya Kharun is the fastest performer ever in the event in the 17-18 age group with a 1:37.93 from January 2024 during his freshman season at Arizona State, but because he had not yet obtained his American citizenship, he was ineligible for a National Age Group Record.

Heilman previously ranked 9th in the age group with a 1:41.65 in the 200 fly from March. His previous best time was a 1:40.73 from Winter Juniors when he was still 16; he aged up on February 7.

Splits Comparison

Besides Heilman, who is still a senior in high school, the other swimmers in the top 7 of the 17-18 group rankings all-time have all won NCAA titles. Kharun, Hayes, Nicolas Albiero, and Brendan Burns all won 200 fly titles, while Andrew Seliskar won individual titles in other races.

Heilman represented the U.S. at the 2023 World Championships, winning a gold medal as a prelims leg of the 400 medley relay, and again at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he won a silver medal in the same race.

Individually in Paris, he was 18th in the 100 fly and 10th in the semi-finals of the 200 fly. He was 4th in the 200 fly at Worlds in 2023.

Heilman holds the 200 yard fly National Age Group Records in the 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 age groups, and holds the longest kept butterfly record (100) in the 10 & under age group as well. He also holds the 15-16 record in the 200 fly in long course in addition to a number of other records across the age groups.

All-Time Top 11, 17-18 Boys’ 200 SCY Fly

1. Ilya Kharun, 1:37.93 (2024) – CANADIAN
2. Aiden Hayes, 1:40.39 (2022)
3. Thomas Heilman, 1:40.48 (2024)
4. Luca Urlando, 1:40.67 (2020)
5. Nicolas Albiero, 1:40.85 (2018)
6. Brendan Burns, 1:40.98 (2020)
7. Andrew Seliskar, 1:41.33 (2014)
8. Noah Lense, 1:41.44 (2017)
9. Tom Shields, 1:41.52 (2010)
10. Jacob Johnson, 1:41.70 (2024)
11. Michael Phelps, 1:41.72 (2003)

Jacob Johnson, a freshman at the University of Minnesota, also moved into the top 10 on this list last week in a dual meet against Wisconsin, re-breaking his own school record in the event.

Heilman’s Other Swims This Weekend:

• 200 free – 1:34.80 (prelims)
• 100 fly – 45.25
• 800 free relay – 1:35.04 leadoff en route to a 6:40.98
• 200 free relay – 19.85 (leadoff en route to a 1:22.86)
• 50 free – 19.72

Other Highlights Through 2 Days:

• 17-year-old Jacques Hathaway of Cavalier Aquatics, a Loyola (MD) commit, won the 100 breast in 55.29. That’s a best time by almost a full second over the 56.30 that he swam last season to win the Virginia Class 3 State Championship meet and four-and-a-half better than he was at his last meet three weeks ago. He also swam best times in the 100 fly (52.13), 50 free (21.41), and 200 breast (2:02.27), the latter of which is a whopping seven second improvement over his previous best time from October 6th. His 100 breast time would already put him 7th in Loyola history about 10 months before starting his career with the Greyhounds.
• 16-year-old Emerson Callis of Quest Swimming won the 200 free (1:47.98), 100 fly (53.36), 200 fly (1:57.36), 400 IM (4:17.67), and 500 free (4:49.32) through the first two days of the meet. The times in the 100 and 200 fly were both new personal bests. She’s committed to swim at NC State in fall 2026.