U.S. Nationals: Time to End a Drought in Men’s 200 Butterfly?
In a moment of validation, Michael Phelps reclaimed Olympic gold in his signature event, the 200 butterfly. He out-lasted longtime rival Chad le Clos and held the surging Masato Sakai at bay by four hundredths to secure the gold medal he had lost by a similar margin four years earlier.
That took place at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and it was the last time an American man won a medal at an Olympics or long course World Championships in the 200 fly. Moreover, no American aside from Phelps has reached the podium at such a high-level meet since 2003, when Tom Malchow secured bronze as Phelps won his second of five world titles in the event.
The 2023 World Championships brought a rare dose of hope for the Americans in the event as teenager Thomas Heilman surged on the final length to finish in a tie for fourth place, just 16-hundredths back of a bronze medal, while Carson Foster was in contention for most of the race before fading down the stretch. But a year later, there were no Stars and Stripes to be found in the Olympic final: Heilman was eliminated in the semifinals, Foster had skipped the event at Olympic Trials and Luca Urlando did not advance out of prelims.
Better results are the expectation for the next international gathering, to take place next month in Singapore. Heilman is still only 18 years old, and matching or improving upon the 1:53.82 he clocked at the 2023 Worlds is well within his grasp. But this year’s favorite is Urlando, who has been on an incredible hot streak to begin the year.
Urlando twice lowered the all-time best 200-yard fly during the college season, dominating Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun to win the NCAA title. One week after finishing the college season, Urlando clocked a time of 1:52.37 at a Pro Series meet in Sacramento, becoming the fourth-fastest performer in history in the event and second-fastest American ever behind Phelps. He currently holds the world’s fastest time for 2025 by two seconds, and he has already passed the mark Kharun swam to win Olympic bronze.
If Urlando can even come close to that time at this week’s National Championships, he will be bound for Singapore as a clear medal contender. We should not count out Foster, provided he decides to race the event this week. The Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 IM is the second-quickest American thus far in 2025 at 1:55.84. Trenton Julian, Ryan Branon, Jack Dahlgren and Mason Laur are others who could find themselves in the mix.
We’ll find out shortly the caliber of American men that will head to Singapore in the event, with the 200 fly scheduled to produce the first men’s members of the World Championships team. The results posted by Urlando this year combined with the youthful potential of Heilman gives a sliver of optimism that the international medal drought will not reach a decade.
