Last year heading into the FINA World Swimming Cup 2021, South Africa’s Matthew Sates was hardly a name on people’s radars. As an 18-year-old at the Olympics in Tokyo, he was a semi-finalist in the 200m IM, placing 14th, and was also 32nd in the 100m butterfly. A good debut for the rookie, but he wasn’t turning heads or writing headlines.

It was at the first FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Berlin in October, however, where Sates made his mark on the swimming universe. On the first day in the German capital, Sates broke the short-course world junior record in the 200 IM with a 1:51.45. On the second day, he out-raced the likes of established veterans Kyle Chalmers and Danas Rapsys in the 200m freestyle in an arguably more impressive swim of 1:40.65 - his second world junior record in as many days. It prompted many to take notice and ask, ‘Who is this guy?’

It came as a surprise to those who only knew him as the guy that reached the semi-finals in Tokyo, but to Sates not so much.

“I won’t say (my performances at the 2021 World Cup) were a complete surprise as I had been training well and thought that I could post some good times,” Sates told FINA in a recent interview. “But of course I was very happy with my performances and they exceeded expectations.”

Sates had been a rising sport star in South Africa - a nation that has produced Olympic champions Chad Le Clos and Tatjana Schoenmaker in recent years, as well as world record holders Roland Schoeman and Penny Heyns in the past.

Almost immediately after the Tokyo Olympics, it appeared South Africa had found its next star. And he just kept on going.

At the second World Cup stop in Budapest, he broke the world junior record in the 400m freestyle with a 3:37.92 in an impressive come-from-behind win over Rapsys and Olympic finalist Felix Auboeck. Across the four stops of last year’s Swimming World Cup, Sates won 14 total races from the 200m and 400m freestyle, to all three IMs. It helped Sates win the overall Swimming World Cup title, and launched him into stardom in the sport.

“I think the whole experience was a defining moment and a big learning curve,” Sates told FINA. “It helped me see that I could race the best in the world and this boosted my confidence, but also showed how tough it can be to travel from meet to meet and performing at that level consistently.”

“I think the whole experience was a defining moment and a big learning curve. It helped me see that I could race the best in the world and this boosted my confidence, but also showed how tough it can be to travel from meet to meet and performing at that level consistently.”
By Matthew Sates

The Next Episode

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After his performances in the Swimming World Cup, Sates moved to the United States to train at the University of Georgia and for legendary coach Jack Bauerle, where he was the NCAA champion in the 500 freestyle in the American-only short course yards venue. If the American audience wasn’t a believer in him before, they surely were persuaded after watching him race in the NCAA, where he challenged the fastest 500 yard freestyle time in history in his fourth time swimming that race.

His successes have drawn comparisons to the one-and-only Michael Phelps by his sponsor P2Life, who took notice of Sates’ best times being on course with where Phelps was in his career at the same age. Whether the comparison came fairly or not, that comparison draws extra weight and expectations for those that may not have been aware of Sates before.

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In 2022, a big summer of long course racing was presented for Sates - opportunities to race at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham a month later. Good things looked to be in store for him based on performances at the Mare Nostrum tour in May, where he was 4:11 in the 400m IM, 1:57 in the 200m IM, and 1:45 in the 200 freestyle, all which put him top ten in the world heading into the FINA World Championships.

In Budapest, Sates raced the 200m and 400m IM as well as the 200 free. His performances, although better than they were at the Olympics, were not up to par from what he swam weeks earlier in the Mare Nostrum. In the 200m IM, he made his first major final to place eighth after going 1:57 in the semifinals, while he was 11th in the 400m IM (4:14), and 12th in the 200m freestyle (1:46).

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At the Commonwealth Games, he raced in three finals - fourth in the 400 IM (4:16), sixth in the 200m freestyle (1:47), and seventh in the 400m freestyle (3:49).

After a Swimming World Cup series and a short NCAA season where he was so dominant seemingly every time he hit the pool, a disappointing long course summer was a relative kick in the gut, and a tough pill to swallow.

“Both the World Champs and Commonwealth Games were not great meets for me in terms of times and placings,” Sates said. “But they have helped me understand better what I need to perform, as well as teaching me that resilience is key to being a pro athlete.”

Swimming World Cup Redemption

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Sates, still only 19-years-old, is back training at home in Pietermaritzburg with coach Wayne Riddin in the lead-up to the 20th FINA World Championships in Fukuoka (JPN) and potentially a second trip to the Olympics for Paris 2024. Looking ahead to this month, he has the versatility to back up his Swimming World Cup overall title from last year, but as for his can’t-miss event for Berlin, Toronto, and Indianapolis, it’s still up in the air.

Based on his short course performances, one may guess the 200m or 400m freestyle. Based on long course, he has been more successful in the 200m and 400m IM. But Sates hasn’t labeled himself as a specialist in anything yet.

“I think I am still in the process of working out my best event,” Sates said. “For now I enjoy swimming all of them!”

Already after the opening Swimming World Cup stop of 2022, he is leading the overall points standings and is on track to repeat as champion.

A lot has changed from last year’s Swimming World Cup to this year’s, but the approach into any meet for these athletes is always going to be the same no matter what has happened in the past.

“Every major competition helps you to practice under pressure and learn how to get the best out of your mind and body,” Sates said before the Berlin World Cup opener.

In Berlin, he won four total events - the 200m and 400m freestyle, and the 200m and 400m IM, with a best time and an African record coming in the 400m freestyle (3:36.30) which set off the successful weekend in his “favourite pool in the world.”

“I’m pretty calm, I’m in a pretty good mindset,” Sates said after winning the 200m IM. “I feel like its coming a lot easier to me. My recovery, especially out of the pool feels good.”

“Right now, my shape is pretty good for these World Cups. When it comes to the world champs at the end of the year, I think I’ll be more rested and, in a bit, better shape for that one. I’d say I’m at 90 percent.”

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