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

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

Swimming siblings Alex and Aaron were celebrated in the main cafeteria at Carmel High School on Thursday, taking home a gold and a silver medal for their participation in two relays.

“This has been the best month of my life,” said Alex. “It was so much fun to get a glimpse behind the scenes instead of watching it on TV.”

Aaron was the only American finalist in the men's 400-meter dash, a highly competitive race.

“Being in an Olympic final is something that almost no one gets to do, and to be able to compete in the final against all these guys, some of the best 400-meter freestyle swimmers of all time, was super cool,” Aaron said.

For these siblings, swimming together at the Olympic Games was like any other competition.

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

“It was a super cool experience,” Aaron said. “After I finished, watching her swim and winning two medals was super cool.”

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

“A lot of them have followed me on Instagram,” Alex said. “A lot of people I've never spoken to are coming up to me. It's definitely a little weird, but I guess that's part of going to the Olympics.”

Alex has calmly accepted her new status as a role model for young swimmers.

“I remember seeing an Olympian in person as a kid and being like a star,” Alex said. “To be an Olympian now is really weird, but I also want these kids to know that they can do it too.”

The couple say their goal is to keep training until they have a chance to qualify for the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.