Matthew Sates (born 28 July 2003) is a South African swimmer. He is the African record holder in the short course 200 metre freestyle, 400 metre freestyle, and 200 metre individual medley as well as the South African record holder in the 400 metre individual medley. He is the 2022 World Short Course champion in the 200 metre individual medley and bronze medalist in the 400 metre individual medley. At the 2022 NCAA Division I Championships, he won the NCAA title in the 500 yard freestyle. For the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup, he was the overall male winner, earning a total of 18 medals, including 13 gold medals.
Background and details Sates was born on 28 July 2003 and lives in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa with his mother and sister. He reportedly became a swimmer at a young age when he followed his older brother Tim into swimming. He has said of the sport, "Swimming has just always been a part of me." He attended St. Charles College in Pietermaritzburg.
He trains by Wayne Riddin at Seals Swimming Club in Pietermaritzburg and verbally committed to entering the University of Georgia in 2022 to train under Neil Versfeld, a renowned South African Olympic swimmer and coach. Competing for the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2021–2022 collegiate season, he won the NCAA title in the 500 yard freestyle in March 2022 before permanently relocating back to South Africa in April 2022 and becoming a professional swimmer.Isaacson, David (14 April 2022). "SA swim star Sates quits American university to turn professional". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
Career 2019 World Junior Championships At the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, held at Danube Arena in Budapest, Hungary, Sates placed tenth in the 4×100 metre medley relay, 20th in the 200 metre individual medley with a 2:05.01, 29th in the 100 metre butterfly in 55.23 seconds, 37th in the 200 metre breaststroke with a time of 2:21.55, 40th in the 100 metre breaststroke with a 1:04.42, and 46th in the 50 metre breaststroke with a time of 30.43 seconds.FINA (25 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Results Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
2021 2020 Summer Olympics
At the 2021 South African Grand Prix in Durban in May 2021, Sates achieved Olympic Games cuts for the 200 metre individual medley, 1:57.60 in the prelims heats, and 100 metre butterfly, 51.83 seconds in a time trial.Pecoraro, Nick (29 May 2021). "17-Year-Old South African Matt Sates Swims 1:57.60 IM/51.83 FL In Durban". SwimSwam. Retrieved 6 April 2022. He competed in two events at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He qualified to compete in the Olympics (delayed until July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) in May 2021 and was called "the next Michael Phelps" in the media leading up to the start of competition. At the 2020 Olympic Games, Sates finished 14th in the 200 metre individual medley, just two places behind Chase Kalisz of the United States, and 32nd in the 100 metre butterfly.Omega Timing; Atos (1 August 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Swimming Results Book" . International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
2021 Swimming World Cup In the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup, which consisted of four competitions across two continents in October 2021 and was conducted in short course metres, Sates was the overall highest-scoring male competitor with a total of 227 points across all four stops that earned him $140,000 of prize money.Kamardina, Olga (30 October 2021). "Sates and McKeon topped overall ranking". FINA. Retrieved 1 November 2021.Dornan, Ben (31 October 2021). "McKeon, Sates, Toussaint, Shields Earn Over $100K From FINA 2021 World Cup". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 November 2021. He also earned the most medals amongst all competitors, male or female, with a total of eighteen medals, which included thirteen gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal.Takata, Daniel (1 November 2021). "The Swimmers With The Most Medals At The 2021 FINA World Cup". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
Sates set his first world junior record of the World Cup circuit at the first stop, in Berlin, Germany, with a time of 1:51.45 in the 200 metre individual medley on 2 October.FINA (2 October 2021). "FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 200m Individual Medley Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 1 November 2021.De George, Matthew (2 October 2021). "Matthew Sates Destroys 200 IM World Junior Record at FINA World Cup". Swimming World. Retrieved 1 November 2021. His swim also moved him to the eighth fastest swimmer in the event in history, just two spots and 31-hundredths of a second behind Caeleb Dressel of the United States.Dornan, Ben (2 October 2021). "Matt Sates Hits SC 200 IM World Junior Record As 8th Fastest Man In History". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 November 2021. The next day, Sates set his second world junior record of the World Cup circuit with a time of 1:40.65 in the 200 metre freestyle, where he won the gold medal and finished less than two-tenths of a second ahead of the silver medalist in the event Kyle Chalmers of Australia.FINA (3 October 2021). "FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 1 November 2021.Byrnes, Liz (3 October 2021). "Matthew Sates Sets WJR And African Mark Over 200 Free At World Cup Stop In Berlin". Swimming World. Retrieved 1 November 2021.Race, Retta (4 October 2021). "Watch 18-Yr-Old Matt Sates Rock 1:40.65 SCM 200 Free World Junior Record". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 November 2021. These first two world junior records earned Sates the number two spot on Swimming World'''s "The Week That Was" honour for the week of 4 October 2021.Rieder, David (4 October 2021). "The Week That Was: DC Trident Dominates ISL Play-In Match; Matt Sates Takes Down World Junior Records". Swimming World. Retrieved 1 November 2021. Four days later, on 7 October, at the second stop of the World Cup, held in Budapest, Hungary, Sates set his third world junior record, this time in the 400 metre freestyle with a time of 3:37.92.FINA (7 October 2021). "FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 1 November 2021.Sutherland, James (7 October 2021). "Matt Sates Scorches 3:37.92 For New World Junior Record In 400 Free (SCM)". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 November 2021. Sates winning multiple medals, setting multiple world junior records, and winning the overall male title was ranked as the number one moment from the 2021 Swimming World Cup by FINA."Swimming World Cup: Top 10 Moments". FINA. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
2021 World Short Course Championships Sates entered to compete in five individual events, the 200 metre freestyle, 400 metre freestyle, 100 metre individual medley, 200 metre individual medley, and 400 metre individual medley, for the 2021 World Short Course Championships at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates."2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Athlete Entries". FINA. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.Race, Retta (10 December 2021). "Entry Lists Published For 2021 FINA Short Course World Championships". SwimSwam. Retrieved 10 December 2021. Two days before the start of the competition, Sates was announced as withdrawing from the championships due to travel restrictions making it hard for him to leave the country of South Africa due to a surge in a new variant of COVID-19.Keith, Braden (14 December 2021). "Schoenmaker, Matt Sates Out Of World SC Championships Amid Omicron Surge". SwimSwam. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
2022 On 21 January 2022, Sates arrived in Athens, Georgia in the United States to start competing collegiately as part of the Georgia Bulldogs at the University of Georgia with his first competition appearance scheduled for 29 January 2022.Keith, Braden (21 January 2022). "Matt Sates Is Expected to Make His Georgia Debut on 29 January Against Emory". SwimSwam. Retrieved 21 January 2022. In his first collegiate competition, a dual meet against Emory University on 29 January, Sates won the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 1:33.89."Georgia Sweeps Emory on Senior Day". Georgia Bulldogs. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022. He also swam a 4:31.29 in the 500 yard freestyle and a 1:49.23 in the 200 yard individual medley swimming exhibition.Penland, Spencer (29 January 2022). "World Junior Record Holder Matt Sates Posts 1:33.89 200 Free In UGA Debut". SwimSwam. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
2022 Southeastern Conference Championships In his first collegiate conference championships, the 2022 Southeastern Conference, SEC, Championships in February 2022, Sates swam a 1:31.82 for the lead-off leg of the 4×200 yard freestyle relay to help take second-place in 6:09.32 on day one.De George, Matthew (15 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships: Alabama Women, Florida Men Set Relay Marks". Swimming World. Retrieved 15 February 2022.Dornan, Ben (15 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 15 February 2022. His time of 1:31.82 ranked Sates as the fifth-fastest male freshman in the 200 yard freestyle in the history of the NCAA, behind Townley Haas, Dean Farris, Cameron Craig, and Drew Kibler.Keith, Braden (16 February 2022). "Matthew Sates Shows No Trouble Adapting In First 2 SEC Championship Swims". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 February 2022. In the prelims heats of the 500 yard freestyle on day two, Sates lowered his personal best time in the event by approximately 17 seconds to a 4:13.65 to rank third overall heading into the final.Hamann, Michael (16 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 February 2022. For the final of the 500 yard freestyle, Sates set a new pool record in a time of 4:09.06 and placed first, finishing over one second ahead of second-place finisher Kieran Smith.De George, Matthew (16 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships, Night 2 Finals: Florida Goes 3-for-3 in Relays". Swimming World. Retrieved 16 February 2022. He qualified ranking first for the final of the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 1:32.59 in the prelims heats on day three.Hamann, Michael (17 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 17 February 2022. In the final, he won with a time of 1:31.16, breaking the pool record of 1:31.65 set in 2013 and finishing 0.23 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Brooks Curry.De George, Matthew (17 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships, Day 3 Finals: Kieran Smith Captures 400 IM". Swimming World. Retrieved 17 February 2022. On Day four of competition, Sates ranked third in the prelims heat of the 200 yard butterfly, qualifying for the final with a time of 1:41.91, which was 1.83 seconds behind first-ranked Luca Urlando.Hamann, Michael (18 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships: Day 4 Prelim Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 18 February 2022. In the final, he placed second with a 1:39.88, this time finishing 0.88 seconds behind Luca Urlando.Dornan, Ben (18 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 18 February 2022.De George, Matthew (18 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships, Day 4 Finals: Luca Urlando Throws Down 1:39 200 Fly". Swimming World. Retrieved 18 February 2022. For the 4×100 yard medley relay later in the session, Sates and Luca Urlando were part of the same relay team, with Sates splitting a 46.03 for the butterfly leg of the relay to help finish fourth in 3:04.76. On the fifth and final day, he led off the 4×100 yard freestyle relay in 42.71 to help achieve a time of 2:50.65 and a fourth-place finish.De George, Matthew (19 February 2022). "2022 SEC Championships, Day 5: Trey Freeman Delivers Epic Mile Win". Swimming World. Retrieved 19 February 2022.