Ryuichi Shibata

{{Short description|Japanese swimmer (born 1983)}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Ryuichi Shibata

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = Ryuichi Shibata

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{JPN}}

| strokes = Butterfly

| club = Team Arena

| coach = Toshiaki Kurosawa

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|12|14|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Fukuoka, Japan

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|1.73|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|73|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates=

{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}

{{MedalCountry| Japan }}

{{MedalCompetition|Pan Pacific Championships}}

{{MedalSilver|2006 Victoria|200 m butterfly}}

{{MedalCompetition|Asian Games}}

{{MedalBronze|2006 Doha|200 m butterfly}}

{{MedalCompetition|Summer Universiade}}

{{MedalBronze|2005 Izmir|4×100 m medley}}

| show-medals = yes

| updated =

}}

{{Nihongo|Ryuichi Shibata|柴田 隆一|Shibata Ryuichi|born December 14, 1983}} is a Japanese swimmer, who specialized in butterfly events.{{cite web|title=Ryuichi Shibata|url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/3/223923.shtml|publisher=Beijing 2008|accessdate=21 April 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912071516/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/3/223923.shtml|archivedate=12 September 2008}}{{cite sports-reference|title = Ryuichi Shibata|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sh/ryuichi-shibata-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417212040/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sh/ryuichi-shibata-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 17 April 2020|access-date = 3 December 2012}} 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.{{cite news|title=Japan Open: Tang Yi, Jiao Liuyang, Hidemasa Sano Set Respective National Records|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/23573.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=27 February 2010|accessdate=4 December 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130204181112/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/23573.asp|archivedate=4 February 2013}} 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.{{cite news|last=Marsteller|first=Jason|title=China Dominates Women's Meet, Splits With Japan in Men's Action at Asian Games|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/12851.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=6 December 2006|accessdate=6 April 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227060054/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/12851.asp|archivedate=27 February 2013}}{{cite news|title=Phelps breaks own 200 fly world record at Pan Pacific|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/swimming/news/story?id=2552752|publisher=ESPN|date=18 August 2006|access-date=6 April 2013}}

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.{{cite news|title=Japanese Olympic Trials: Big Upset Happens on Fourth Night|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/17883.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=19 April 2008|accessdate=4 December 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222002023/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/17883.asp|archivedate=22 February 2013}}{{cite news|title=Shibata outsprints Matsuda in 200 fly|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/sp20080419a2.html|publisher=The Japan Times Online|date=19 April 2008|accessdate=3 December 2012}} 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.{{cite web|title=Men's 200m Butterfly Semifinal 2|url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM022200/index.html|work=Beijing 2008|publisher=NBC Olympics|accessdate=3 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821003411/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM022200/index.html|archive-date=21 August 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Business as usual as Phelps makes 200m fly final|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-08-12/business-as-usual-as-phelps-makes-200m-fly-final/473172|publisher=ABC News Australia|date=12 August 2008|accessdate=23 January 2016}}