Matt Sates Tallies 2 Wins, 1 Personal Best After Fracturing Wrist at World Cup in Athens

2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – ATHENS

• Friday, October 13th – Sunday, October 15th
• Athens, Greece
• LCM (50m)
• Prelims 9:00am (EEST)/ 2:oo am (EDT)
• Finals 6:00 pm (EEST)/ 11:00 am (EDT)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• Live Results

After skipping the 2023 World Championships to prepare for 2024, Matt Sates is showing serious flashes of potential at the World Cup stop in Athens, Greece.

The 20-year-old South African pulled off an impressive double on Saturday, securing 1st-place finishes in the 200 IM (1:58.86) and 200 fly (1:55.54). Sates’ winning time in the 200 fly marked a lifetime best, shaving almost half a second off his previous-best 1:55.87 that also earned him a World Cup win last weekend in Berlin, Germany.

What’s more, Sates said after Saturday’s victories that he fractured his wrist during Friday’s 100 fly win in a personal-best 51.82. Last weekend, he placed 23rd in the 100 fly with a time of 54.60.

“Last night’s race I fractured my wrist, so I wasn’t sure how I would swim,” Sates said. “But it felt OK in warm-up and honestly I didn’t feel it in either race tonight. I’m really happy to come away winning both the 200 IM and the 200 fly tonight. With the current World Cup scoring, you have to be strategic and that was part of my decision last night to scratch the 400 free in order to pick up the win in the 100 fly.”

Sates also revealed after his races that he has been focusing on his breaststroke, which was evident during his 200 IM comeback. He turned in 4th place after the backstroke leg, but used a blistering 34.06 breaststroke split — the only person in the field sub-35 — to claim a lead that he never relinquished.

“I have been focusing on my breaststroke, it’s one of my strengths,” Sates said. “My backstroke is a bit weaker than theirs. You win some and you lose some.”

Sates is slated to contest the 200 free and 400 IM on Sunday. He placed 9th in the 200 free (1:49.87) in Berlin.