| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryuichi Shibata | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 December 1983 Fukuoka, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Butterfly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Team Arena[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Toshiaki Kurosawa[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ryuichi Shibata (柴田 隆一, Shibata Ryuichi, born December 14, 1983) is a Japanese swimmer, who specialized in butterfly events.[1][2] He represented his nation Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics and has won a career total of three medals (one silver and two bronze) in a major international competition, spanning the Asian Games, Pan Pacific Championships, and Summer Universiade. Shibata also established both his personal best and Japanese techsuit-era record of 1:51.30 at the 2007 FINA World Cup in Singapore, until it was finally smashed by Hidemasa Sano at the Japan Swimming Open in 2010.[3] Shibata is a student at Nihon University in Tokyo.
In 2006, Shibata won a bronze medal in the 200 m butterfly at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar (1:56.44), and a silver at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (1:55.82), finishing behind American swimmer and world-record holder Michael Phelps.[4][5]
Shibata competed for the Japanese squad in the men's 200 m butterfly at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Leading up to the Games, he cleared a FINA A-standard entry time of 1:55.57 at the Olympic Trials in Tokyo. Moreover, Shibata's surprising triumph dashed the hopes of two-time Olympic medalist Takashi Yamamoto, who finished behind him in third and thereby missed out on his fourth Olympic bid.[6][7] Despite entering the semifinals with an eleventh-seeded time of 1:55.82 from the evening prelims, Shibata tried to command his lead over all-time Olympian Michael Phelps at the final turn of the race, but faded down the stretch to hit the wall in seventh position and twelfth overall. Shibata's semifinal mark of 1:56.17 was not worthy enough to advance him further to the top 8 final.[8][9]
- ^ a b c "Ryuichi Shibata". Beijing 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ryuichi Shibata". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Japan Open: Tang Yi, Jiao Liuyang, Hidemasa Sano Set Respective National Records". Swimming World Magazine. 27 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ Marsteller, Jason (6 December 2006). "China Dominates Women's Meet, Splits With Japan in Men's Action at Asian Games". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ "Phelps breaks own 200 fly world record at Pan Pacific". ESPN. 18 August 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ "Japanese Olympic Trials: Big Upset Happens on Fourth Night". Swimming World Magazine. 19 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ "Shibata outsprints Matsuda in 200 fly". The Japan Times Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Men's 200m Butterfly Semifinal 2". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Business as usual as Phelps makes 200m fly final". ABC News Australia. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2016.