U.S. Nationals: Carson Foster Holds On For 200 Fly Title; Thomas Heilman Breaks Phelps NAG Record to Secure Worlds Spot

Carson Foster -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. Nationals: Carson Foster Holds On For 200 Fly Title; Thomas Heilman Breaks Phelps NAG Record to Secure Worlds Spot

Carson Foster arrived at 2022’s U.S. selection meet surrounded by questions. He had narrowly missed a spot on the 2021 Olympic team in two different events. He was just a month removed from a disappointing effort at the NCAA Championships. But Foster got the job done at that Greensboro meet to qualify for Worlds in both individual medley events plus the 800 freestyle relay. And in Budapest, Foster excelled with silver medals in both individual events plus a relay gold.

This year’s Nationals, Foster admitted, were different. “It definitely feels like I’ve been here before,” Foster said. He added, “The nerves will never go away.”

Now, Foster is an established international performer, and he is looking to build up a sizeable event schedule for his second senior-level competition. It’s one down, with a spot on the team in the 200 butterfly secured and a very real chance to earn an another medal in the event next month in Fukuoka.

Foster has never raced the 200 fly internationally, but following his impressive Worlds debut last year, he swam a time of 1:53.67 at a Sectionals meet in March that made him the third-fastest American in history. That swim turned the 200 fly, an event which Foster did not even enter at last year’s Nationals, into one of his focus races.

Beginning with his Tuesday morning prelims swim, Foster looked like a frontrunner. He easily took care of the field racing against him in the final heat while finishing eight tenths clear of the field in 1:54.30. In the final, however, it was a close race through 150 meters between Foster and Trenton Julian, who was second in the event at last year’s U.S. Nationals. Foster turned at 1:23.03 with one length to go, 13 hundredths ahead of Julian, but the race changed after that.

On the final 50, Julian fell off the pace, and Foster, too, was fading as the swimmers on either side of him gained ground. In lane five, teenager Thomas Heilman was closing fast. After swimming a lifetime best by more than a second in prelims, the age group star was suddenly threatening to make it big time far earlier than expected.

Despite a 31.29 closing split, Foster did hang on to get the win in 1:54.32.

“Four weeks out of where I want to be, I think that’s a really good spot to be,” Foster said of his performance. “It was my fastest first 150 I’ve ever had. I honestly think I could have thrown down a pretty good time at the end. I just got out of my lane a little bit. Obviously when you have someone next to you running you down, it’s hard to stay in your lane. It was a good practice for me just to stick to my race plan, focus on my technique and my rhythm. I spent so much of today being nervous about getting on the team and wasting energy, so I’m just honored to be representing the U.S. again.”

Heilman, meanwhile, closed in 30.04 to reach the wall in 1:54.54 to qualify for his first senior-level international team, finishing six tenths clear of Zach Harting, who ended up third in 1:55.12, which was only six hundredths behind the 1:55.06 he swam to win this event at Olympic Trials two years ago. Julian was fourth in 1:55.38, followed by Florida’s Mason Laur (1:55.67).

“When I was walking out, there was a lot of energy. I felt like I had my adrenaline rushing a little bit. It kind of helped me through the first 50. I was really just trying to focus on my details, try to get through the turns well, hit my breakouts. The last 50, just trying to race everyone, try to get my hand on the wall first. Obviously, I got second, but in this situation, it’s just as good, so I’ll take it,” Heilman said.

“I thought I had a decent chance (to qualify for Worlds). Obviously, the United States is really deep in terms of swimming. In my training this year, I’ve been hitting good times, and I thought throughout the season I’ve been on good pace to try to make a run. That was kind of my thought process. I had faith in my training, in myself, and my coaching staff really put me in a good situation to achieve that tonight.”

After cutting more than a second from his best time in prelims, Heilman dropped another half-second in finals. That was good enough to knock knocked four hundredths off the 15-16 National Age Group record in the event, and this was a record held by the great Michael Phelps. Phelps went 1:54.58 in 2001 as he captured his first world title, and now, this vaunted record belongs to Heilman.

“It’s amazing,” Heilman said of breaking Phelps’ record. “I looked up to him for as long as I can remember, honestly. Watching him in Rio was the first time I can remember. Watching him on YouTube all the time, it’s really cool to be able to say I broke one of his records. Obviously, he’s the greatest swimmer of all-time, so nothing to complain about there.”

Foster and Heilman now rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the world this year, and both will be chasing medals as they head to the World Championships in Fukuoka. No U.S. man aside from Phelps has won a World Championships or Olympic medal in the 200 fly since 2003, but the field in the event has opened up with world-record holder Kristof Milak’s withdrawal from Worlds.

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