Thomas Heilman’s Four Wins Among Highlights At 2024 Helen Wang Sunflower Classic

2024 Helen Wang Sunflower Classic

• April 25-28, 2024
• Stafford, Virginia
• LCM (50 meters)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Helen Wang Sunflower Classic”

The 2024 Helen Wang Sunflower Classic was held at the Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center this past weekend. The three day competition served as an opportunity to get some long course racing in, while some used it as a chance to target qualifying times for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Among the competitors was 17-year-old phenom Thomas Heilman, who competed in four individual events throughout the meet. His first win came in the 200 butterfly, where he touched in 1:59.53 to clear the field by nearly eight seconds. He opened in 56.85 through the first 100 before closing in 1:02.68. Heilman added three additional wins in the 100 fly (52.68), 100 free (50.66), and 200 free (1:51.54). For context, he’s much faster this year compared to this same meet in 2023, where he won the 200 fly in 2:03.26.

Last June, Heilman took the next step in his steady progression, breaking Michael Phelps‘ National Age Group Record (NAG) in the boys’ 15-16 200 fly to qualify for the World Championships in a time of 1:54.54. Heilman followed that up by qualifying for Fukuoka in a second event, taking the runner-up spot in the 100 fly in 51.19, which broke his own previous NAG record. At the World Championships, Heilman lowered the 200 fly record down to 1:53.82 in the final, which earned him 4th place overall. He later placed 17th in the shorter 100m distance.

Sara Czirjak and David King, who both train with Heilman at Cavalier Aquatics, also had great showings throughout the competition.

Czirjak, 16, booked herself a ticket to the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 200 breaststroke. She put her hands on the wall in 2:30.86 to chop 1.37 seconds off her previous lifetime best (2:32.23), which also undercut the 2:31.69 time required for Trials. Czirjak also logged a win in the 100m distance where she finished in 1:10.74. It was another best time, her first time under 1:11, but just shy of the 1:10.29 Olympic Trials cut.

Virginia commit King won three individual events: the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 IM. His 200 back performance was the clear highlight, as he demolished his previous best by 1.49 seconds to qualify for Trials. He finished in 2:01.19 to sneak under the 2:01.69 mandated performance needed for the big meet. He split the race strategically, opening with a 100m split of 1:00.08 before blasting home in 1:01.08 over back half.

King’s time of 2:03.52 in the 200 IM was a best time by over two seconds, but marginally shy of the 2:03.49 qualifying mark. He also punched a swift 56.22 effort to win the 100 back, another personal record by over a full second.

18-year-old Kyle Peck, who represents the Stingrays Swim Team, grabbed two second place finishes over the course of the meet. He was 2nd to Heilman in the 200 fly (2:07.13) and touched 2nd to King in the 100 back (56.77). The Texas commit is within striking distance of both the 100 fly (53.59) and 100 back (55.69) Olympic Trial cuts, and will have two more months to chase the elusive standards. His best time in the 100 fly is 54.48 while his 100 back benchmark is 56.23.

Brown commit Max Moore, 18, dropped a time of 1:02.59 to win the 100 breast. The Cavalier Aquatics representative obliterated his previous best of 1:03.14 to come within four tenths of the Olympic Trials cut.