Stephan Alexander De Freitas Steverink (born 27 February 2004) is a Brazilian competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. 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 The 2021 Junior Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos Junior 2021'') was an international multi-sports event for athletes aged 17 to 22 in the Americas, organized by Panam Sports held in Cali and Valle, Colombia between November 2 ...

, 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.

Background

Steverink was born 27 February 2004 to a

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian mother and a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

father and holds citizenship to Brazil and the Netherlands."Stephan Steverink"
''

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022.Lord, Craig (4 February 2020)
"Stephan Steverink: The Boy From Brazil With A Dutch Double Decision & A Paris 2024 Gold"
''

Swimming World ''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022. He trains and competes for

CR Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

, continuing his contract with the sports club through the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...

and changing his training base to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

in 2023.Petry, Helena (8 January 2023)
"Stephan Steverink renova contrato com o Flamengo ENS até Paris-2024"
(in Portuguese). ''

''. Retrieved 20 February 2023.

Career

2019–2021

In 2019, Steverink won medals at national age group competitions in both

and

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

as part of figuring out which country to represent in international competitions.Keith, Braden (5 December 2019)
"15-Year-Old Stephan Steverink Adds 4:21 In 400 IM To Big Results In Brazil"
''

SwimSwam ''SwimSwam'' news is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012 and quickly became the most-read swimming website in the world. ...

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022. Two years later, as part of

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

at the

held in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, 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."Cali Valle 2021: Stephan Alexander De Freitas Steverink"
(in Spanish). ''

Panam Sports The Panam Sports (Formerly Pan American Sports Organization; es, link=no, Organización Deportiva Panamericana; pt, link=no, Organizacão Depórtiva Panamericana; french: Organisation Sportive PanAméricaine) is an international organization whi ...

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022.

2022

For the

2022 South American Youth Games The 2022 South American Youth Games (Spanish:''Juegos Suramericanos de la Juventud''), officially the III South American Youth Games, was an international multi-sport event held in Rosario, Argentina, from April 28 to May 8. It was the first time ...

, held in

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

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."Rosario 2022: De Freitas Steverink Stephan Alexander"
''

ODESUR The Organización Deportiva Suramericana (ODESUR) is a multi-sports organisation. They organize the South American Games. Affiliates There are 15 affiliated National Olympic Committee, National Olympic Committees: References External link ...

''. Retrieved 11 September 2022."Stephan Steverink projeta nadar até três provas nos Jogos de Paris"
(in Portuguese). ''olimpiadatododia.com.br''. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022. At the

2022 World Aquatics Championships The 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 19th edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships, were held in Budapest, Hungary, from 17 June to 3 July 2022. In March 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FINA banned both the Russian an ...

, held at

Danube Arena The Danube Arena (in Hungarian: ''Duna Aréna'', unofficially ''Dagály Budapest Aquatics Complex'') is an aquatics complex located in Budapest, Hungary. It was designed by Marcell Ferenc and built between 2015 and 2017. Design and construction O ...

in June and July in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, Steverink placed sixteenth in the 400-metre individual medley with a time of 4:19.09.

(18 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 400m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary"
''

Omega Timing Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as ''La Generale Watch Co.'' until incorporating the name ''Omega'' in 1903, becoming ' ...

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022.

2022 World Junior Championships

For the preliminaries of the 400-metre freestyle on day one of the

2022 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships The 8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships was held from 30 August to 4 September 2022 at the Videna Aquatic Center in Lima, Peru.

, held in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, Steverink ranked first with a time of 3:50.24 and qualified for the final.

(30 August 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022. 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 Vlad-Ștefan Stancu (; born 13 August 2005) is a Romanian competitive swimmer. He is the Romanian record holder in the long course 1500-metre freestyle and long course and short course 800-metre freestyle. At the 2022 World Junior Championship ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

(30 August 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022.Chaves, Lincoln (30 August 2022)
"Revelação brasileira conquista ouro no Mundial Júnior de natação"
(in Portuguese). ''

Agência Brasil Agência Brasil (ABr.) is the national public news agency, run by the Brazilian government. The agency was founded in 1990 and it's part of the public media corporation Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), created in 2007 to unite two governmen ...

''. Retrieved 31 August 2022.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."Stephan Steverink briga até o fim e é campeão Mundial Jr nos 400m livre"
(in Portuguese). ''

Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports The Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports ( pt, Confederação Brasileira de Desportos Aquáticos; CBDA) is the governing body of aquatic sports in Brazil. It was founded as the ''Brazilian Swimming Confederation'' ( pt, Confederação Brasile ...

''. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022."Stephan Steverink é campeão sundial júnior de natação"
(in Portuguese). ''

Globo Esporte TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV station ...

''. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022. 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 The FINA World Junior Swimming Championships (or "Junior Worlds") is a swimming championship event organized by FINA for girls aged 14–17 and boys aged 15–18 on 31 December of the year of the competition. It is held biennially, and has been hel ...

and he won the first medal for Brazil at the 2022 Championships."Histórico! Stephan Steverink é ouro no Mundial Júnior de natação"
(in Portuguese). ''

Lance! ''Lance!'' is a daily sports newspaper in Brazil, and its first edition was published in 1997. Its headquarters are located in Rio de Janeiro, and they print regional versions for some of the other Brazilian states. History Its tabloid format as ...

''. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022. On the third day of competition, he placed sixth in the 800-metre freestyle with a time of 8:01.21.

(1 September 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 800m Freestyle Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 1 September 2022.Oliviera, Natália (1 September 2022)
"Brasil chega perto do pódio no Mundial Júnior de Natação"
(in Portuguese). ''surtoolimpico.com.br''. Retrieved 1 September 2022. 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 Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

(2 September 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 4x200m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 2 September 2022. On the fifth morning, Steverink ranked second in the preliminary heats of the 400-metre individual medley, behind Riku Yamaguchi of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, with a time of 4:22.29.

(3 September 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 3 September 2022. In the evening final, he lowered his time to a 4:17.68 and won the silver medal.

(3 September 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 400m Individual Medley Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 3 September 2022.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. 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.

(4 September 2022)
"8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Lima (PER): Men's 1500m Freestyle Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 4 September 2022.

2022 U.S. Open Championships

Competing representing Brazil at the

2022 U.S. Open Swimming Championships The 2022 Toyota U.S. Open Swimming Championships took place from November 30 to December 3, 2022 at Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.

, starting on 30 November in

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, 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 Alfonso Mestre (born 24 September 2001) is a Venezuelan swimmer. He competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He swam collegiately at the University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research universi ...

USA Swimming USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overal ...

(30 November 2022)
"2022 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 800m Freestyle Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 30 November 2022. The second day, he placed fifth in the 400-metre freestyle with a time of 3:51.60.

(1 December 2022)
"2022 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 1 December 2022. 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.

(2 December 2022)
"2022 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 400m Individual Medley Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

2023

At the 2023 Brazil National Swimming Championships in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, 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. Time Brasil (30 May 2023)
"Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 1 - Finais"
(in Portuguese; time stamp, 42:52 to 55:27). ''

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

''. Retrieved 31 May 2023. He followed up with a silver medal in the 1500-metre freestyle the following day with a time of 15:20.20. Time Brasil (31 May 2023)
"Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 2 - Finais"
(in Portuguese; time stamp, 1:02:50 to 1:27:04). ''

''. Retrieved 31 May 2023. On day four, he finished in a

2023 World Aquatics Championships The 2023 World Aquatics Championships, the 20th edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships, will be held in Fukuoka, Japan, between 14 to 30 July 2023. Originally scheduled to be held in 2021, the championships were postponed until May 2022 ...

qualifying time of 4:17.26 in the final of the 400-metre individual medley, winning the gold medal. Time Brasil (2 June 2023)
"Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 4 - Finais"
(in Portuguese; time stamp, 1:42:27 to 1:57:14). ''

''. Retrieved 2 June 2023. The fifth and final day, he won the bronze medal in the 800-metre freestyle with a final mark of 8:03.00. Time Brasil (3 June 2023)
"Troféu Brasil de Natação 2023 - Dia 5 - Finais"
(in Portuguese; time stamp, 1:44:31 to 2:01:21). ''

''. Retrieved 3 June 2023.

International championships

: Steverink swam only in the preliminary heats.

Personal best times

Long course metres (50 m pool)

Legend: r – relay 1st leg

Awards and honours

Brazilian Olympic Committee The Brazilian Olympic Committee or BOC ( pt, Comitê Olímpico do Brasil – COB) is the highest authority in Brazilian sport and the governing body of Brazilian Olympic sport. It was officially founded on June 8, 1914, but World War I cause ...

, Year-end Junior Athletes Retrospective, highlight: 2022"Retrospectiva 2022: natação se destaca e comanda medalhas do Brasil em Mundiais Juniors no ano"
(in Portuguese). ''

''. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2023. * ''Olimpíada Todo Dia'', Youth Athletes Retrospective, highlight: 2022Nagime, Mateus (24 December 2022)
"Retrospectiva Olímpica: atletas de base do Time Brasil em 2022"
(in Portuguese). ''olimpiadatododia.com.br''. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steverink, Stephen 2004 births Living people Swimmers from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian people of Dutch descent Brazilian male freestyle swimmers Brazilian male medley swimmers Swimmers at the 2023 Pan American Games