﻿{"id":575785,"date":"2024-01-10T06:56:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T13:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=575785"},"modified":"2024-01-10T17:01:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T00:01:50","slug":"knoxville-races-to-watch-mens-thomas-heilman-maximus-williamson-set-for-tough-tests-against-pros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/knoxville-races-to-watch-mens-thomas-heilman-maximus-williamson-set-for-tough-tests-against-pros\/","title":{"rendered":"Knoxville Races to Watch (Men\u2019s): Teen Stars Thomas Heilman, Maximus Williamson Set for Tough Tests Against Pros"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Knoxville Races to Watch (Men\u2019s): Thomas Heilman, Maximus Williamson Set for Tough Tests Against Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The last time <strong>Thomas Heilman<\/strong> and <strong>Maximus Williamson<\/strong> showed up to a national-level competition, both were considered promising young talents, but neither had made that jump into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/from-juniors-to-paris-alex-shackell-thomas-heilman-maximus-williamson-closer-to-crashing-olympic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">true contender status<\/a>. But during those five days in Indianapolis, Heilman broke out and qualified for the World Championships team in both butterfly events, and just over two months later, Williamson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/after-golden-world-juniors-maximus-williamson-appears-ready-for-prime-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">put on a show at the World Junior Championships to secure a spot in the pre-Olympic Trials conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These high school juniors and future University of Virginia Cavaliers set multiple National Age Group records apiece at December\u2019s Junior Nationals (racing at separate sites), and now, they are back competing against the big names from the college and professional ranks. At the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/tyr-pro-swim-series-knoxville-top-american-swimmers-make-2024-debut-psych-sheets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, Tenn.<\/a>, Heilman and Williamson are both <a href=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/results\/pdf\/2024-tyr-pro-swim-series-knoxville-psych-sheet-usa-senior-national-2024-01-10.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">entered<\/a> in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle plus the 200 IM. Heilman will also race in his signature butterfly events while Williamson adds the 100 breaststroke and 400 IM.<\/p>\n<p>Heilman was seeded ninth in the 200 fly entering last year\u2019s Nationals, only drop two seconds from his best time and take down <strong>Michael Phelps\u2019<\/strong> 15-16 NAG record. Heilman ended up dropping into 1:53-territory on the way to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/thomas-heilman-looking-at-world-champs-experience-as-valuable-tool-on-road-to-paris-video-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a fourth-place finish at Worlds<\/a>. Given his ridiculous improvement last year and his age, Heilman is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/after-worlds-debut-teenager-thomas-heilman-teeming-with-potential-for-olympic-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">now considered a serious threat for an Olympic medal in the 200 fly<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In Knoxville, Heilman will not swim against fellow World Championships finalist <strong>Carson<\/strong> <strong>Foster<\/strong>, who opted to skip the event this week, but he is scheduled to race against three other men who have posted 1:54s in the past: <strong>Luca<\/strong> <strong>Urlando<\/strong>, <strong>Trenton Julian<\/strong> and <strong>Gabriel<\/strong> <strong>Jett<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Urlando is another of the six Americans who have ever posted 1:53s in the event, and after he was a World Championships finalist in the event in 2022, he has hardly raced butterfly at all since undergoing shoulder surgery in the fall of 2022. Meanwhile, Julian and Jett both had strong swims in 2022 but did not achieve their top form last year. Dare Rose, the bronze medalist at Worlds in the 100 fly and a teammate of Jett\u2019s at Cal, is another swimmer looking to put himself in contention for the Olympic team in the event.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_531475\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-531475\" data-attachment-id=\"531475\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/from-juniors-to-paris-alex-shackell-thomas-heilman-maximus-williamson-closer-to-crashing-olympic-party\/maximus-williamson-7\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,750\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;OM-1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;maximus-williamson-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1688223089&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\\u00a9Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;maximus-williamson-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"maximus-williamson- 2023 US Nats 4658-Enhanced-NR\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;12-10-23&lt;br \/&gt;\n9\/9\/23&lt;br \/&gt;\nmaximus-williamson- 200 IM, 2023, Day 5 Prelims, US Nationals, Williamson Maximus&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-531475 size-medium-small\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR-450x338.jpg\" alt=\"maximus-williamson-\" width=\"450\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR-450x338.jpg 450w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/maximus-williamson-2023-US-Nats-4658-Enhanced-NR.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-531475\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximus Williamson &#8212; Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As for Williamson, his best chances at beating veterans will come in the 100 free, where he owns a best time of 48.38, and in the 200 IM, where he has been 1:57.29. Five others are sub-1:58 performers in the 200 IM, including a pair of veterans in Foster and <strong>Chase Kalisz<\/strong> who have both won World Championships medals in this event in the past.<\/p>\n<p>But Williamson\u2019s best chance to make it to Paris might be as a 400 free relay swimmer, and he will continue trying to build momentum against a really strong field which boasts seven swimmers with 47s in their careers. Don\u2019t expect anyone to swim that fast in Knoxville, but a high placing against the likes of <strong>Jack Alexy<\/strong> and <strong>Caeleb Dressel<\/strong> would put Williamson in a strong position.<\/p>\n<p>The Knoxville meet won\u2019t make or break anyone\u2019s seasons, but swimmers like Heilman and Williamson only have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/whats-at-stake-as-olympic-year-commences-in-knoxville\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">momentum to gain<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In other top men\u2019s races:<\/p>\n<h2>400 Freestyle<\/h2>\n<p>This event has been the weakest for the American swim team in recent years, a bronze medal by <strong>Kieran Smith<\/strong> at the 2021 Olympics notwithstanding. Smith and <strong>David Johnston<\/strong> represented the U.S. at last year\u2019s Worlds in the event, but neither qualified for the final. In 34 individual final contested in Fukuoka, only the 400 free went off without any swimmers from the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The Knoxville field will include plenty of top U.S. contenders in the event, including Smith, <strong>Bobby<\/strong> <strong>Finke<\/strong>, <strong>Luke Hobson<\/strong> and <strong>Ross<\/strong> <strong>Dant<\/strong>, while <strong>Drew<\/strong> <strong>Kibler<\/strong>, better known for his success in the 200 free, has emerged as a true contender here after his big best time in the eight-lap race at the U.S. Open. The Americans will get a challenge from Austria\u2019s Felix Aubock, an Olympic finalist in this event.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>100 Backstroke<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_533790\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-533790\" data-attachment-id=\"533790\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-5-prelims-ryan-murphy-eases-into-200-back-semis\/20th-world-aquatics-championships-fukuoka-2023-328\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 9&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Ryan Murphy of the United States of America celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m Backstroke Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 25th, 2023.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1690311763&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;20th World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20th World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;7-27-23&lt;br \/&gt;\nRyan Murphy of the United States of America celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m Backstroke Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 25th, 2023. Sport, Swimming, FINA, Aquatics, World Championships, World Aquatics, Fukuoka, 2023, Fukuoka 2023, Ryan Murphy of the United States of America, 100m Backstroke Men Final&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-533790 size-medium-small\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-450x300.jpg\" alt=\"Ryan Murphy of the United States of America celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m Backstroke Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 25th, 2023.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-280x187.jpg 280w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-1350x900.jpg 1350w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230725_ASta_ASZ8324-533x355.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-533790\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan Murphy &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p>American strength in the men\u2019s 100 back has been a constant for decades. In 14 global championship meets dating back to the 2005 World Championships, the Americans have gotten two men on the 100 back podium on nine occasions, between the likes of <strong>Aaron<\/strong> <strong>Peirsol<\/strong>, <strong>Randall<\/strong> <strong>Bal<\/strong>, <strong>Ryan<\/strong> <strong>Lochte<\/strong>, <strong>Matt Grevers<\/strong>, <strong>Nick<\/strong> <strong>Thoman<\/strong>, <strong>David<\/strong> <strong>Plummer<\/strong>, <strong>Ryan Murphy<\/strong> and <strong>Hunter<\/strong> <strong>Armstrong<\/strong>. At last year\u2019s Worlds, Murphy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-three-finals-ryan-murphys-express-finish-gives-him-long-awaited-gold-in-100-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">touched out world-record holder <strong>Thomas Ceccon<\/strong> for the title<\/a> while Armstrong claimed bronze.<\/p>\n<p>But even though that duo has represented the U.S. internationally each of the last three years, there are always challengers to those spots. Expect to see Murphy and Armstrong race their two primary challengers in Knoxville, <strong>Shaine Casas<\/strong> and former 50 back world champion <strong>Justin<\/strong> <strong>Ress<\/strong>. We\u2019ll see if one of the big four can record a statement swim at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaswimming.org\/event\/2024\/01\/10\/default-calendar\/tyr-pro-swim-series-knoxville\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pro Series<\/a> or if an outside threat such as <strong>Destin Lasco<\/strong>, <strong>Jack Aikins<\/strong> or teenager <strong>Daniel<\/strong> <strong>Diehl<\/strong>, could move themselves into the mix.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Knoxville Races to Watch (Men\u2019s): Thomas Heilman, Maximus Williamson Set for Tough Tests Against Pros The last time Thomas Heilman and Maximus Williamson showed up to a national-level competition, both<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":531507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122077,17,7],"tags":[133611,41402,53502,129977,25269,125188],"class_list":["post-575785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-americas","category-commentary","category-usa","tag-2024-tyr-pro-swim-series-knoxville","tag-drew-kibler","tag-kieran-smith","tag-maximus-williamson","tag-ryan-murphy","tag-thomas-heilman"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - 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