Western has not one but two students swimming at the USA Olympic trials this summer. Thomas Heilman and David King have been standout swimmers at Western. Heilman has won multiple state championships at Western and King was the VHSL region 3C swimmer of the year this year. The trials will take place in from June 15- 23 in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, the stadium the Indianapolis Colts play in. They have installed an Olympic swimming pool where Thomas and David will swim in front of thousands of spectators in a few weeks.
The trials will be nationally televised. Heilman says he “will be swimming the 100 and 200 fly as well as possibly some freestyle events.” David will be swimming the 200 IM and the 100 backstroke. This is one of the greatest achievements for any swimmer at any time in their life and the fact that these two will be competing in the trials in high school is beyond impressive. A good performance at the trials will allow Thomas and David to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. They would be a part of a team of 56 (28 women and 28 men) that would race for Olympic gold.
These swimmers have high hopes, Heilman says, “I am hopeful to make the Olympic roster for Team USA and earn the opportunity to race at the Olympic Games.” While these expectations may seem too much for a couple of high schoolers, both of these athletes have been swimming for their entire lives and both are capable of qualifying in their respective events. Both these swimmers are very excited and have been practicing intensely.
The trials are just around the corner. “Thomas is currently tapering and I am continuing to train,” King said. “My body requires a little less rest than his. I’ll be resting for about a week and a half or so which means that I’ll be having easier practices that aren’t’ super physically exhausting and are mostly detail-oriented practices. We’re both going to arrive to Indy a couple of days early to acclimate and swim in the pool as well. “I think the trials will be a great experience, competing against the best swimmers in the country with a huge crowd and an opportunity to accomplish my goals,” Heilman said. All of Western wishes both swimmers the best of luck in accomplishing their dreams.
