Social Kick Podcast: Rising Star Thomas Heilman Pays a Visit to Recap Olympic Summer (Video Interview)<\/strong><\/p>\n

When students return to school after the summer, many teachers hold icebreaker sessions with their classes. It is an opportunity for the students to reacquaint with one another, get a feel for new faces who might be sitting at the adjacent desk and share a moment from the past couple of months that was memorable.<\/p>\n

In one of the most-recent episodes of the Social Kick Podcast, Heilman discusses his summer, beginning with his performances at the United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Of course, he also addresses his time in Paris as a member of Team USA. At his first Olympics, Heilman contested the 100-meter butterfly and 200 butterfly on an individual basis, and earned a silver medal in the 400 medley relay for his prelims contribution.<\/p>\n

Now a senior in high school and committed to compete collegiately for the University of Virginia, Heilman is a rising star for the United States, an athlete who figures to be a long-term presence in international competition. The spotlight for Heilman is nothing new, as he has been an age-group standout for years, excelling across numerous events en route to regular National Age-Group (NAG) records.<\/p>\n

In his 45-minute interview on the Social Kick Podcast, hosted by Bryan Lundquist, John Mullen and Luke Paddington, Heilman discusses the training that has elevated him to world-class status. He also weighs in on what it is like to be well-known in the sport as a teenager and provides advice for other up-and-comers.<\/p>\n