The U.S. Olympic swimming team has always been an exciting topic of discussion at each Summer Games. Things will be no different on Saturday when the swimming competition at the Paris Olympics begins.
There will be a galore of storylines to watch for. Among the swimmers to keep an eye on are the record-setting siblings, Alex and Aaron Shackell, who will make their Olympic debut in Paris. The brother and sister duo are one of two sets of siblings that will swim for the U.S. Olympic team for the second time since 1976.
The other sibling pair, the sisters Gretchen and Alex Walsh, will also seek to bring some heat in multiple swimming events for the United States at the 2024 Summer Games. The last Summer Olympics to have two sets of siblings competing on the U.S. Olympic team for swimming was the 2004 Athens Games.
Klete Keller competed and won a gold medal in the 4x200 free relay and bronze in the 400 freestyle. Her sister, Kalyn, didn’t win a medal but finished fourth in the 800 freestyle. Dana and Tara Kirk competed that year with Tara securing a silver medal in the 4x100 medley relay.
Aaron, 19, punched his ticket to Paris after winning the 400 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis. Alex, 17, booked her ticket to Paris after finishing second in the 200 butterfly and securing a spot on the relay pool for the 4x200 freestyle event.
Aaron will compete in the 400 freestyle prelims on Saturday. Alex will compete in the 200 butterfly prelims and semifinals on July 31 as well as the 4x200 free relay prelims on Aug. 1. Swimming runs deep in the Shackells’ family and one doesn’t have to look very far to figure out where Aaron and Alex’s athletic genius come from.
What does the Shackells’ family tree look like? Here's a record of the siblings’ most important branches and where they acquired their elite skills in the swimming pool:
MORE: Meet USA Swimming sisters Alex and Gretchen Walsh
Is Aaron Shackell related to Alex Shackell?
Aaron and Alex Shackell are siblings. Aaron is the older brother to his sister, Alex. The two teenagers became the first set of siblings to earn spots on the U.S. swimming team since 2004. Alex also has a twin brother, Andrew, who will compete in the Junior Pan Pacific event in Melbourne, Australia, in August.
Alex and Aaron Shackell parents
Ali Shackell
Ali is the mother to Alex, Aaron and Andrew Shackell. Her children’s swimming pedigree partially stems from her DNA as a former competitive swimmer. She was a three-time All-American swimmer at Auburn. She built her reputation as an elite swimmer in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly competitions. She met her husband, Nick, in college and the couple got married in 1999.
Nick Shackell
Nick is Ali’s husband and the father of the Shackells. Like Ali, he was a standout swimmer who left a memorable mark in the swimming pool. He started his swimming career at UCLA in 1994 before later transferring to Auburn for swimming and to pursue a degree in business administration and management.
While at Auburn, he competed in the 4x100 freestyle at the Atlanta Games in 1996 for Great Britain. In 1997, he led the program to its first NCAA swimming title while also capturing gold medals in the 200 and 400 freestyle events and finishing his college career as an 18-time All-American.
Nick competed for the U.S. swim team at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney. He was inducted into Auburn’s Diving and Swimming Hall of Fame in October 2013.
Where are Alex and Aaron Shackell from?
Aaron and Alex were born in St. Louis. However, the Shackells moved to Carmel, Indiana, during the COVID-19 pandemic. After making the move, both siblings competed at Carmel High School. The school isn’t far from where both Alex and Aaron punched their tickets to the Paris Games after strong performances in the pool at Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
