Ulises Saravia, a 19-year-old Argentine backstroker, continues to make strides on the international stage.
At the 2025 Spanish División de Honor Club Cup on March 30th, Saravia set a national record in the 200 backstroke (SCM), touching the wall in 1:55.83. The previous official record was held by Agustin Hernandez, who posted a time of 1:56.61 at the 2018 Argentine Championships in Santa Fe. While Saravia did hit a time of 1:55.86 in late December of last year, the record was never ratified.
Known primarily for his sprint backstroke skills, the 200 is an event he has yet to contest at major international championships.
At the 2023 World Junior Championships (LCM), then 17-year-old Saravia began to make his presence known. En route to securing the 2nd seed in the 50 back semifinals with a time of 24.95, he set a new national record, surpassing Federico Grabich’s previous mark of 25.16 from 2013. The next day, Saravia captured the bronze medal with a time of 25.03, just slightly slower than his semifinal performance.
Earlier in that meet, Saravia notched a time of 53.95 in the 100 back, marking his first-ever swim under the 54-second barrier and easily breaking Grabich’s long-standing national record of 54.32 from 2009. This swim was also done in the semifinals, and Saravia went on to finish 4th in the final with a time of 54.16.
In 2024, Saravia placed 15th in the 50 back (25.13) and 20th in the 100 back (54.60) at the Long Course World Championships in Doha, followed by a 35th-place finish in the 100 back (55.03) at the Paris Olympics.
Most recently, at the 2024 Short Course World Championships in Budapest, Saravia touched 32nd in the 50 back (23.91) and 36th in the 100 back (52.26). Despite those results, he holds Argentine short course records in both events, with best times of 23.63 and 51.67, set at the 33rd Copa de España de Clubes División de Honor in December 2023.
The 200 back in long course meters is now the only backstroke national record that Saravia does not hold, as it belongs to Juan Ignacio Mendez, who recorded a time of 2:01.82 at the Sociedad Alemana de Gimnasia de Villa Ballester competition in February 2021. Saravia would need to drop over five seconds from his current best time of 2:07.11, which was clocked in April 2023, but it was a period when the 200 was almost a non-focus for him.
Congratulations 19-YEAR-OLD ULISES SARAVIA.
Randy