Benjamin Anthony Aguon Schulte (born December 22, 1995) is a

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

anian

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 ...

. Schulte entered the international stage at 15 years old when he won a silver medal at the

2011 Pacific Games The 2011 Pacific Games (officially known as NC 2011) took place in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from August 27 to September 10, 2011. Nouméa was the 14th host of the Pacific Games. Upon closure of the registration for entries, "some 4,300 athletes" ha ...

held in New Caledonia. At the

2014 Micronesian Games The 8th Micronesian Games were held from July 20 to July 30, 2014, in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The Games began with an opening ceremony on the track and field grounds. They included "traditional war dances", and the unfurli ...

, Schulte was awarded medals in all 11 of his events, nine of them gold, earning him the nickname 'Micro Phelps'. At the

2015 Pacific Games The 2015 Pacific Games, also known as Port Moresby 2015 or POM 2015, was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 4 to 18 July 2015. It was the fifteenth staging of the Pacific Games as well as the third to be hosted in Port Moresby. More tha ...

, he won gold in the 200m and 400m medley, silver in the 100m breaststroke, setting a Games record in the heats that was later broken by the gold medalist in the final, and bronze in the 200m breaststroke. At the

2016 Oceania Swimming Championships The 11th Oceania Swimming Championships were held 21–26 June 2016 at the Damodar Aquatic Centre in Suva, Fiji. It was the eleventh edition of the biennial championships, and featured competition in swimming, open water swimming Open water swimm ...

, Schulte earned a gold and a silver medal. He competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

in the Men's 10 kilometer Open Water event at only 16 years old. At the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

, he competed for Guam in the 100 meter breaststroke, placing 43rd in the preliminary heats which did not qualify him for the semifinals. He was the flag bearer for Guam during the

Parade of Nations The Olympic Games ceremonies of the Ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of these Games; the modern Olympic games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the Ancient Games from ...

Early life and education

Benjamin Schulte was born in the Guamanian city of

Tamuning Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon ( ch, Tamuneng) is a village located on the western shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village of Tamuning is the economic center of Guam, containing tourist center Tumon, Harmon Indu ...

on December 22, 1995. He studied business at

Bryant University Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It has two colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. History Butler ...

. Schulte was taught to swim at the age of five. His family moved to Australia when he was 14 so he could better pursue his Olympic career. He attended

Miami State High School Miami State High School is a school in Miami, Queensland established as South Coast District State High School in 1963. History Originally named South Coast District State High School, Miami High was officially opened in April 1963. It s ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

's Gold Coast.

Olympic career

Schulte competed in the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

at the age of 16. He discovered he had a chance to qualify for the Olympics in 2011, so he competed in a qualifying event. He failed to qualify, but a New Zealand swimmer declined a spot that was reserved for an Oceania swimmer, which he learned a month prior to the Olympics. He practiced by swimming for ten times per week, going to the gym, and taking yoga classes. He finished the 10 km race with a time of 2:03:35, 14 minutes behind the winner. He was determined to finish, saying, "My goal was just to finish. Just being here, being given the opportunity to be here. I didn't want to let down my friends and family back home by not finishing." For his determination, Schulte was nominated for the Open Water Swimming Association's Swimming Man of the Year award in 2012, to which he was runner-up. Following the 2012 Summer Olympics, Schulte decided to refocus and switch from long distance swimming to short distance. He said, "I like the competition, but I don't like the training." Schulte competed in the

. The Guamanian National Olympic Committee (NOC) president Ricardo Blas told Schulte, "You deserve the opportunity and right to carry the flag and lead Guam into the Olympic Games". Schulte broke his own national record during the 2016 Summer Olympics in

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 ...

, finishing the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 1:03.29. He plans to compete in the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

in the men's 100 meter breaststroke.

International career

Schulte started his international career with the

, where he earned a silver medal in the men's 1500 meter freestyle. Schulte also competed in the 400 meter freestyle; 50 and 100 meter breaststroke; 400 meter individual medley; 400 meter freestyle relay; and 400 meter medley relay. Schulte set the Pacific Games and a Guamanian national record for the 100 meter breaststroke in the first heat of the

with a time of 1:03.42. In the finals, he finished second and earned a silver medal. The winner of the race, Amini Fonua, broke the Pacific Games record he set six hours prior. He also earned two gold and one bronze medal, winning the most medals for Guam at the Games. During the 2016 Oceania Championships, Schulte swam in the 50 and 100 meter breaststroke. In the 100 meter, he won the preliminary round, but finished second in the finals with a time of 1:03.46, earning a silver medal. For the 50 meter breaststroke, he finished second in the preliminary round; however, he edged out New Zealand swimmer Jacob Garrod with a time of 29.26 seconds to win the gold medal. In the

, Schulte performed well. He earned a gold medal in 9 out of the 11 events he participated in, and was given the nickname "Micro Phelps". Schulte earned gold in the 50, 100, and 200 meter breaststroke; 4 × 100 freestyle relay; 4 × 50 medley relay; 1,500 freestyle; 200 and 400 meter individual medley; and 4 × 100 medley relay. He won a silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly and the 100 meter freestyle.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schulte, Benjamin Guamanian male breaststroke swimmers Guamanian male butterfly swimmers Guamanian male freestyle swimmers Guamanian male medley swimmers 1995 births Living people Olympic swimmers of Guam Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Chamorro people People from Tamuning, Guam