INDIANAPOLIS — Matthew Fallon is turning heads as he heads to Paris later this summer after a record-breaking swim at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Teenager Thomas Heilmann still tries to ignore the comparisons to Michael Phelps.
Now, they've teamed up to give the American male a whole new look.
Fallon earned his first Olympic medal in the 200 breaststroke by breaking Josh Prenot's American record set eight years ago by nearly three-quarters of a second, while the 17-year-old Heilmann won the 200 butterfly, becoming the youngest U.S. male swimmer to earn an Olympic medal since Michael Phelps did so at age 15 in 2000.
“I've always known I could do it, I just really wanted to go out there and perform on the biggest stage,” Fallon said after beating Josh Matheny in 2 minutes 6.54 seconds. “I think having two young guys qualify in what is typically considered an older guy's event definitely shows that there's a little bit of a generational shift going on.”
Fallon may be understating things a bit.
Heilmann became the second athlete to claim the title of youngest qualifier on two consecutive nights, replacing 18-year-old Luke Whitlock, who placed second to defending Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke in the 800-meter freestyle.
Matthew Fallon celebrates after the men's 200-meter breaststroke final at the USA Swimming Olympic Trials, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Daron Cummings
Whitlock also broke Phelps' 17- and 18-year-old age group records in the 400-meter freestyle preliminaries on Saturday, but his qualifying swim Tuesday night was surpassed by another breakthrough moment Saturday night by another Indianapolis-area teenager, Aaron Shackel, who won't turn 19 until December.
Yes, the U.S. team, long dominated by greats like Phelps, Ryan Lochte and even Caleb Dressel, is suddenly giving way to a new generation of potential stars.
“I try not to think about it. I try not to worry too much about the comparisons,” Heilman said of rumors that he could be the next Phelps, “but honestly, the people around me keep me at ease. And it starts with my family, obviously, and then my teammates and coaches, they do a great job of not trying to make me into some kind of special person.”
These aren't just the young stars of American men's swimming.
Matthew Fallon celebrates after the men's 200-meter breaststroke final at the USA Swimming Olympic Trials, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
Whitlock plans to attend college swimming powerhouse the University of Florida in the fall, and Matheny is from another prestigious program, Indiana University, while Fallon is the first U.S. Olympic swimmer to come from the University of Pennsylvania. Chris Juliano, 20, also made an appearance earlier this week, finishing second in the 200-meter freestyle relay on Monday night and winning the 100-meter freestyle on Wednesday to become the first Olympic swimmer from the University of Notre Dame.
Beginning in 2025, Heilman will help the University of Virginia's men's program match the recent success of the women's program.
For now, each of these young Olympians has goals closer to home.
“I'm not sure how the best swimmers in the world are going to perform at the Olympics,” Fallon said. “I think some of them haven't reached their full potential yet, but we'll see how it goes.”
