Stephan Alexander De Freitas Steverink (born 27 February 2004) is a Brazilian competitive swimmer. He won the gold medal in the 400-metre freestyle and the silver medal in the 400-metre individual medley at the 2022 World Junior Championships. At the 2021 Junior Pan American Games, he won a gold medal in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay, silver medals in the 800-metre freestyle, 400-metre individual medley and 4×100-metre medley relay, as well as a bronze medal in the 1500-metre freestyle.

Stephan Steverink
Personal information
Full nameStephan Alexander De Freitas Steverink
National teamBrazil Brazil
Born (2004-02-27) 27 February 2004 (age 20)[2]
Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, individual medley
ClubCR Flamengo[1]
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  Brazil
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Junior Championships 1 1 0
Junior Pan American Games 1 3 1
South American Youth Games 4 1 0
Total 6 5 1
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Lima 400 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2022 Lima 400 m medley
Junior Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2021 Cali–Valle 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2021 Cali–Valle 800 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2021 Cali–Valle 400 m medley
Silver medal – second place 2021 Cali–Valle 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Cali–Valle 1500 m freestyle
South American Youth Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rosario 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rosario 1500 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rosario 200 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rosario 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2022 Rosario 200 m breaststroke
U.S. Open Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Greensboro 800 m freestyle

Background edit

Steverink was born 27 February 2004 to a Brazilian mother and a Dutch father and holds citizenship to Brazil and the Netherlands.[2][3] He trains and competes for CR Flamengo, continuing his contract with the sports club through the 2024 Summer Olympics and changing his training base to Rio de Janeiro in 2023.[1]

Career edit

2019–2021 edit

In 2019, Steverink won medals at national age group competitions in both Brazil and Netherlands as part of figuring out which country to represent in international competitions.[4] Two years later, as part of swimming at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games held in Cali, Colombia, he won the gold medal in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay, the silver medal in the 800-metre freestyle with a 8:02.64, the silver medal in the 400-metre individual medley with a 4:24.35, a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay, the bronze medal in the 1500-metre freestyle with a 15:34.41, and placed eighth in the b-final of the 200-metre individual medley with a 2:25.26.[5]

2022 edit

For the 2022 South American Youth Games, held in Rosario, Argentina in April and May, Steverink won a total of four golds medals, one each in the 400-metre freestyle, 1500-metre freestyle, 200-metre individual medley, and the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, as well as a silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke.[6][7] At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, held at Danube Arena in June and July in Budapest, Hungary, Steverink placed sixteenth in the 400-metre individual medley with a time of 4:19.09.[8]

2022 World Junior Championships edit

2022 World Junior Championships
  400 m freestyle 3:48.27
  400 m individual medley 4:17.68

For the preliminaries of the 400-metre freestyle on day one of the 2022 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, held in Lima, Peru, Steverink ranked first with a time of 3:50.24 and qualified for the final.[9] In the evening final, he won the gold medal with a personal best time of 3:48.27, finishing less than two-tenths of a second ahead of silver medalist Vlad Stancu of Romania.[10][11][12][13][14] With his win, he became the first male Brazilian swimmer to win a medal in the 400-metre freestyle at a FINA World Junior Swimming Championships and he won the first medal for Brazil at the 2022 Championships.[15] On the third day of competition, he placed sixth in the 800-metre freestyle with a time of 8:01.21.[16][17] The next day, he led-off the 4×200-metre freestyle relay in the final with a personal best time of 1:49.02, contributing to a fourth-place finish in 7:20.13, which was just 0.20 seconds slower than the bronze medal-winning team from Poland.[18]

On the fifth morning, Steverink ranked second in the preliminary heats of the 400-metre individual medley, behind Riku Yamaguchi of Japan, with a time of 4:22.29.[19] In the evening final, he lowered his time to a 4:17.68 and won the silver medal.[20][21] The following, and final, day, he placed fourth in the 1500-metre freestyle with a time of 15:23.83, which was less than six seconds slower than bronze medalist Vlad Stancu.[22]

2022 U.S. Open Championships edit

Competing representing Brazil at the 2022 U.S. Open Swimming Championships, starting on 30 November in Greensboro, United States, Steverink won the bronze medal in the 800-metre freestyle with a time of 8:01.80, sharing the podium with fellow Brazilian and gold medalist Guilherme Costa and Venezuelan and silver medalist Alfonso Mestre.[23] The second day, he placed fifth in the 400-metre freestyle with a time of 3:51.60.[24] On the third evening, he finished in a time of 4:21.53 in the final of the 400-metre individual medley to place seventh.[25]

2023 edit

At the 2023 Brazil National Swimming Championships in Recife, Steverink started off with a silver medal on day one (30 May) in the 400-metre freestyle, finishing second in a time of 3:50.79.[26] He followed up with a silver medal in the 1500-metre freestyle the following day with a time of 15:20.20.[27] On day four, he finished in a 2023 World Aquatics Championships qualifying time of 4:17.26 in the final of the 400-metre individual medley, winning the gold medal.[28] The fifth and final day, he won the bronze medal in the 800-metre freestyle with a final mark of 8:03.00.[29]

International championships edit

Meet 400 free 800 free 1500 free 200 breast 200 medley 400 medley 4×100 free 4×200 free 4×100 medley
Junior level
PANJ 2021
(age: 17)
 
(8:02.64)
 
(15:34.41)
8th (b)
(2:25.26)
 
(4:24.35)
 
(7:24.22)
 
(3:44.19)
SAYG 2022
(age: 18)
 
(3:51.36)
 
(15:17.25)
 
(2:18.81)
 
(2:04.93)
 [a]
(h - 3:37.23)
WJC 2022
(age: 18)
 
(3:48.27)
6th
(8:01.21)
4th
(15:23.83)
 
(4:17.68)
4th
(7:20.13)
Senior level
WC 2022
(age: 18)
16th
(4:19.09)
a Steverink swam only in the preliminary heats.

Personal best times edit

Long course metres (50 m pool) edit

Event Time Meet Location Date Ref
200 m freestyle 1:49.02 r 2022 World Junior Championships Lima, Peru 2 September 2022 [18]
400 m freestyle 3:48.27 2022 World Junior Championships Lima, Peru 30 August 2022 [10]
800 m freestyle 7:57.70 2022 Brazil Swimming Trophy Rio de Janeiro 7 April 2022 [2]
1500 m freestyle 15:14.86 2022 Brazil Swimming Trophy Rio de Janeiro 9 April 2022 [2]
400 m individual medley 4:16.44 2022 Brazil Swimming Trophy Rio de Janeiro 4 April 2022 [2]

Legend: r – relay 1st leg

Awards and honours edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Petry, Helena (8 January 2023). "Stephan Steverink renova contrato com o Flamengo ENS até Paris-2024" (in Portuguese). CR Flamengo. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Stephan Steverink". FINA. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  3. ^ Lord, Craig (4 February 2020). "Stephan Steverink: The Boy From Brazil With A Dutch Double Decision & A Paris 2024 Gold". Swimming World. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ^ Keith, Braden (5 December 2019). "15-Year-Old Stephan Steverink Adds 4:21 In 400 IM To Big Results In Brazil". SwimSwam. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Cali Valle 2021: Stephan Alexander De Freitas Steverink" (in Spanish). Panam Sports. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Rosario 2022: De Freitas Steverink Stephan Alexander". ODESUR. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Stephan Steverink projeta nadar até três provas nos Jogos de Paris" (in Portuguese). olimpiadatododia.com.br. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  8. ^ FINA (18 June 2022). "19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 400m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  9. ^ FINA (30 August 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b FINA (30 August 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  11. ^ Chaves, Lincoln (30 August 2022). "Revelação brasileira conquista ouro no Mundial Júnior de natação" (in Portuguese). Agência Brasil. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  12. ^ de Barros, Adielson (30 August 2022). "Stephan Steverink é ouro dos 400m livre do Mundial Júnior" (in Portuguese). olimpiadatododia.com.br. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Stephan Steverink briga até o fim e é campeão Mundial Jr nos 400m livre" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Stephan Steverink é campeão sundial júnior de natação" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Histórico! Stephan Steverink é ouro no Mundial Júnior de natação" (in Portuguese). Lance!. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  16. ^ FINA (1 September 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 800m Freestyle Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  17. ^ Oliviera, Natália (1 September 2022). "Brasil chega perto do pódio no Mundial Júnior de Natação" (in Portuguese). surtoolimpico.com.br. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  18. ^ a b FINA (2 September 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 4x200m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  19. ^ FINA (3 September 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  20. ^ FINA (3 September 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Individual Medley Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  21. ^ Silva, Regys (3 September 2022). "Stephan Steverink é prata e Revezamento 4x100m Livres feminino é bronze no Mundial Junior de Natação" (in Portuguese). surtoolimpico.com.br. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  22. ^ FINA (4 September 2022). "8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 1500m Freestyle Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  23. ^ USA Swimming (30 November 2022). "2022 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 800m Freestyle Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  24. ^ USA Swimming (1 December 2022). "2022 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  25. ^ USA Swimming (2 December 2022). "2022 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 400m Individual Medley Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  26. ^ Time Brasil (30 May 2023). "Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 1 - Finais" (in Portuguese; time stamp, 42:52 to 55:27). YouTube. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  27. ^ Time Brasil (31 May 2023). "Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 2 - Finais" (in Portuguese; time stamp, 1:02:50 to 1:27:04). YouTube. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  28. ^ Time Brasil (2 June 2023). "Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 4 - Finais" (in Portuguese; time stamp, 1:42:27 to 1:57:14). YouTube. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  29. ^ Time Brasil (3 June 2023). "Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 5 - Finais" (in Portuguese; time stamp, 1:44:31 to 2:01:21). YouTube. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  30. ^ "Retrospectiva 2022: natação se destaca e comanda medalhas do Brasil em Mundiais Juniors no ano" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  31. ^ Nagime, Mateus (24 December 2022). "Retrospectiva Olímpica: atletas de base do Time Brasil em 2022" (in Portuguese). olimpiadatododia.com.br. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

External links edit