Race Pace Club’s is currently the most successful national age group swimmer in the United ​ States. Over the course of his young career, the Kansas native has set over 80 National Age Group (NAG) records, and currently still holds a total of 22 national marks; 12 in short course yards and 10 in long course meters.

2015

At the 2015 U.S. National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, Michael earned the national title in the men’s 200m IM. Also at that meet, Michael clocked a time of 1:00.68 in the men’s 100m , a mark which stood as the FINA World Junior Record for over a month. Michael also became the the first 16-and-under swimmer to dip under the 52-second mark for the 100 yard breaststroke, registering a new NAG Record of 51.75.

On the international level, Michael represented the United States while competing at the 2015 FINA World Junior Championships in Singapore. As a result of putting up the most total rankings points on the male side by the end of the competition, Michael swam away with FINA’s ‘Male Swimmer of the Meet’ award. Michael raced in eight individual events at the meet, making finals in seven of them. He collected three individual medals, which included a silver in both the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, as well as a gold in the 50m , scoring a new championship record in the process.

While competing at the Tokyo stop of the 2015 FINA World Cup series, Michael stood on the podium two times.

2016

Michael rose to the challenge of competing against a stacked domestic field at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, earning his way into two finals. Michael finished 4th in the 100 breaststroke, clocking a personal best time of 59.82, a mark which stands as the current NAG Record. The time also checks in as the reigning World Junior Record in the event.

Michael’s other highest U.S. Trials finish came in the 200 IM, where he came in 6th place overall in another personal best of 1:59.44, marking the 2nd time he broke through the 2-minute barrier.

The 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships brought Michael’s first individual international senior title. Michael topped the men’s 100 IM field, one which included the current world record holder, to take the gold medal in a time of 51.84. Michael was also a critical prelims swimmer of the men’s 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays, both of which ultimately wound up winning the silver medal.

Also while competing in Windsor, Michael established a new Short Course World Junior Record in the 50 breaststroke, stopping the clock in a swift 26.39.

2017

While competing at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis in March, Michael lowered his 200m IM World Junior Record even further en route to a silver medal. Michael earned a mark of 1:59.12 to shave .32 off of his previous record and establish a new personal best.

Later that summer, Michael broke the World Junior Records in the 50m free, 50m back and 50m fly while taking gold medals in each event at the World Junior Championships. His new world junior standards included 21.75 in the 50 free, 24.63 in the 50 back and 23.22 in the 50 fly. Michael also earned bronze in the 100m breaststroke and 8th place in the 200m IM.

On the 2017 FINA World Cup circuit, Michael broke another barrier by becoming the fastest junior swimmer ever in the 100 IM (SCM). First he nabbed a new world junior standard at the Beijing stop with a silver medal-winning effort of 51.86, before shaving .21 off of that mark to hit 51.65 in Singapore for a new WJR. Michael was also a member of Team USA’s 4x50 mixed medley and 4x50 mixed free relays that earned silver and bronze in Tokyo and Singapore, respectively.

Rounding out his monumental year, Michael established himself as a premier U.S. sprinter once again, snagging the silver medal in the 50y freestyle at the 2017 Winter Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. He produced a quick time of 19.17 to claim runner-up status in the event. Michael also raced the 100 fly and 100 breast, where he wound up 4th in each. He also raced to 5th place in the 100 free and 6th in the 200 breast at the championships.

2018

Michael has already kicked 2018 off with impressive feats against both national and international competitors. He established an incredible six short course yards personal bests while competing at the 2018 Virginia TYR ISCA Junior Championships, including a sub-19 50 free time of 18.88. He also earned the 2nd fastest 100 breaststroke time ever by a 17-18 year-old with his outing of 51.18. His additional PB’s came in the 100y IM (47.34), 100y free (42.56), 50y back (21.52) and 50y breast (23.56).

Michael raced against a stable of thoroughbred sprinters in Louisville as an invited competitor at the 2018 TYR Pro Derby shoot-out style competition. Michael crushed 2 rounds of the 50 freestyle before ultimately claiming the Pro Derby title in the 3rd round, beating out World Championships silver medalist of in the process.

USA named Michael to the 2018 Mare Nostrum squad, meaning the teen will compete in France and Spain in June of this year.

Personal Amid his in-pool successes, the path Michael has chosen to follow has been anything but usual and that's what makes his story really stand out. At just 14 years old, Michael became the youngest male American swimmer ever to turn professional, relinquishing his NCAA eligibility by signing deals with supplement company P2 Life and Fortune 500 company Mutual of Omaha. In the summer of 2015, at age 16, Michael signed a multi-year partnership with global brand Adidas Swim.

Blessed with height, as well as hefty hands and feet, young Michael was born in the United States by two excellence-driven parents. Former naval diver father Peter and former British Gladiator mother Tina were both born and raised in South Africa and, with Michael and sister Michaela, see Michael’s career as a family affair. Their family home in Lawrence, Kansas even sports its own training facility in the backyard. An 87' x 16' above ground pool with a deck around is where Michael is trained by father, Peter, according to the science-based methodology coined Ultra Short Race Pace Training, or USRPT.

After meeting Dr. Brent Rushall, the San Diego State University professor considered by most to be the expert on USRPT, at an ASCA conference in 2009, MIchael’s parents were enthralled with the ideas and tenets of this unique training method. The training system’s credo dictates that swimmers engaging in USRPT undergo very specific training with very specific times, thus eliminating what is termed “junk yardage.” This concept appealed both to Michael and Peter. Instead of trudging out 9,000 yards daily through traditional training, Michael racks up yardage more in the 2500 to 3000 yards of range on a given day as a result of focusing on technique at the same speed he would swim in a race. Intensity and top speed are certainly keys to USRPT, but the overall goal is to perfect technique.

Michael’s training impact on the world’s swimming community expanded even further in November 2017 when he and his father launched an online course entitled, ‘The Non-Traditional Lore of Swimming: Step-by-Step Race-Pace Instruction. The course is available via website and is aimed at both athletes and coaches with an emphasis on technique, as demonstrated with footage of Michael.

Moving into the senior ranks of swimming now at the age of 19, Michael is embracing his ‘fan favorite’ status with the launch of his own vlog. The relatable athlete speaks with fans, documents his meet experiences and interviews Olympic teammates, all stemming from his natural passion for the sport of swimming, but also his desire to build relationships along on his journey.

Having been raised with love and purpose, Michael relishes opportunities to race and compete, and also dreams of revolutionizing the sport. He is vocal about his relationship with God and believes that, through his in-pool success, he is revealing the glory of God to the world. Says Michael, “It’s not about me. It is not about swimming. It is about the ability I’ve been blessed with and the circumstances I’ve been blessed with. I’ve been blessed to able to do what I love, to hone my talents in a fun and loving environment while pursuing excellence and giving all the glory to God.”