Carmel Olympians receive a hero’s welcome – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — The Carmel Swim Club gave Alex and Aaron Shackell a heroes’ welcome Thursday night following their return to Indiana after representing the United States at the Paris Olympics.

Swimming duo Alex and Aaron were feted Thursday in the main cafeteria at Carmel High School. She took home a gold and a silver medal for her participation in two relays.

“It was the best month of my life,” Alex said. “It was so much fun to see what it’s like behind the scenes instead of watching it on TV.”

Aaron was the only American finalist in the men’s 400 meters, a highly competitive race.

“Being in an Olympic final is something almost no one gets to do, and being able to compete against all those guys in the final, some of the best 400 freestylers of all time, was great,” Aaron said.

For these brothers, swimming together at the Olympics was like any other competition.

“We had already been to Junior Pan Pac (the Junior Pan Pacific swim meet) together, so we already had a little bit of that experience,” Alex said. “But yeah, I’m super proud of this kid for making it to the finals.”

“It was an amazing experience,” Aaron said. “After finishing, watching her swim and win two medals was great.”

Alex just started her senior year of high school this week. Despite all the excitement, she was a normal, well-adjusted teenager.

“A lot of them have followed me on Instagram,” Alex said. “A lot of people I’ve never talked to are coming up to me, so it’s definitely a little weird, but I guess that’s something that comes with going to the Olympics.”

Alex has taken his new status as a role model for young swimmers with ease.

“I remember when I was younger, I would see an Olympian in person and be in awe,” Alex said. “Being an Olympian now is really weird, but I also want these kids to know that they can do it, too.”

The couple says their goal is to continue training until they have a chance to qualify for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.