2019 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES/SUMMER UNIVERSIADE – SWIMMING
- July 4th-9th, 2019
- Napoli, Italy
- LCM (50m)
- Live Stream: Olympic Channel (in US), Rai Sport (in Italy)
- Entry Lists & Live Results
SwimSwam has received video of the early-morning 200 IM race by Texas Longhorns John Shebat and Sam Stewart on Saturday at the 2019 World University Games/Summer Universiade.
This morning, Texas assistant coach Wyatt Collins posted on Instagram that Shebat swam a 1:58.28 in an *unofficial* 200 IM time trial. Sam Stewart, who was racing for Texas until mid way through last season, also swam the race, though Collins’ post made no mention of his swim.
At the time this morning, we didn’t have race video to verify Wyatt’s watch, but now we do. After multiple times to try and get an approximate average, we believe that Wyatt’s watch was right on the number.
In my 3 clockings, I averaged out to a 1:58.29. Robert’s numbers came in a hair slower, 1:58.53, but still within a reasonable margin of error given the angle of the video. Collins can be seen pacing the side of the pool, furthest from Shebat, so his angle wasn’t perfect either.
Ultimately, the time doesn’t count for anything more than confidence and bragging rights, so this all adds up to “close enough” to declare Shebat’s 1:58-low in the 200 IM as a good time. I clocked Stewart about 2.1 seconds behind Shebat, or around a 2:00.4.
Shebat’s time was faster than event champion Juran Mizohata of Japan went in the final (1:58.88), while Stewart’s time would have probably put him 4th or 5th.
Both swimmers, the 2 American entries in the race, were disqualified in prelims. Our reporters tell us that Shebat was called for a 1-handed touch on the breaststroke-to-freestyle turn, while Stewart was called for being past vertical on his backstroke-to-breaststroke turn.
For transparency, here is our clocked data:
| Braden1 | Braden2 | Braden3 | BradenAvg | Robert1 | Robert2 | Robert3 | RobertAvg | |
| fly | 24.02 | 23.9 | 24.01 | 23.98 | 24.4 | 24.26 | 24.11 | 24.26 |
| back | 30.06 | 29.58 | 29.81 | 29.82 | 29.72 | 29.73 | 29.53 | 29.66 |
| breast | 34.29 | 34.8 | 34.48 | 34.52 | 34.36 | 34.5 | 34.86 | 34.57 |
| free | 30.04 | 29.89 | 29.99 | 29.97 | 30.13 | 29.93 | 30.05 | 30.04 |
| total | 1:58.43 | 1:58.19 | 1:58.29 | 1:58.29 | 1:58.61 | 1:58.44 | 1:58.55 | 1:58.53 |
Race Video:
It’s crazy to think that in HS John didn’t start swimming until his Jr year after giving up football and showed up late to almost every practice with his career at NCAP while swimming at the back of the lane.
I mean, not completely true. He was a stud 12 and under then quit. Then started again in HS. He was always insanely talented
That’s 118 seconds +/- 1 that I’ll keep to myself, thanks. I’d care more if this was an officiated Time Trial, but it’s not. No offense, but I don’t understand the fascination with un-official / practice swimming times (Texas cough cough). We’ve all experienced this. When I was 16, I got a PR on a 5th of 5 SCY 200 backs in practice… and the only person that it mattered to was me because it gave me more confidence going into taper (it was LCM season anyways).
In the real deal version of the race, you either deliver or you don’t. That’s it.
Stop making these scrimmage results a headline. Many of us don’t care.
John Shebat’s fans like myself actually care, s please keep your thoughts to yourself. These are athletes that people follow, so for his 200 IM, people would care. For your 200 back in practice? I significantlyydoubt anything new would care.
“We’ve all experienced this” …?? Has any other person in the world ever swum a personal best 200 back on their 5th of 5 in practice? That sounds like something you should talk to a doctor about.
That’s an awful lot of words to express how little you care. Seems to me as though you DO care, you just care in the negative, which is a perfectly reasonable way to care – just not the same thing.
The only reason I paid attention to these games was because of Shebat. I have been watching this kid swim since he was 7 yrs old. John is a real champion who you can never underestimate! I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. I am just confused on what his best event will be leading up to the trials. Thank you swimswam for the video and coverage!!
He went out in a 24.0 roughly, a faster split than Phelps, Lochte, or Cseh if I remember correctly. It was a great swim, worthy of discussion, and posting the video, IMO.
I’m old enough to remember when people called Shebat slow for going 34.5 on 200 IM breast pace in practice
Insane swim, but ouch on that freestyle
I think we would hurt on last lap if we were almost a second under world record for first 50….
Yeah, maybe if he took a hair off the fly he could have come back in 28 and done a 1:57?
Shebat is an absolute beast. Thank you so much for posting this!
$10 bucks says that was Carol Capitani starting them.
Dude went out like 24.00 on fly…
amazing Lochte *only* went out 24.89 when he set World Record
I guess that wasn’t fake news earlier.