Schuehler Places 8th in 200M Finals at World Juniors

Although he qualified for the final heat in his event, the 200-meter breaststroke, Collingswood swimmer Andy Schuehler didn't find the podium at the 2013 FINA World Junior Championships.


The incoming Penn State freshman couldn't overcome a world-record-setting finish from Russian Aleksandr Palatov, a lifetime-best from Palatov's teammate, Mikhail Dorinov, or the strong second-place finish of Hungarian David Horvath, as reported by Swimswam.com.

Schuehler finished in eighth place at the event finals, which were held at 10 a.m. Thursday in Dubai, with a time of 2:16.04, more than three seconds behind fellow American Joseph Bentz, and nearly a full six seconds off Palatov's 2:10.75.

The 200-meter breaststroke is the only event in which Schuehler will swim at the championships; despite a strong performance in the 100-meter at the junior national qualifiers in California earlier this month, he finished just shy of the top two, which included Bentz.

But it's the first appearance on an international stage for the young man, who's still got more than a few years of growing in him before he can take a shot at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

"For me, it's just realizing that you can really push yourself," Schuehler told Patch earlier this month.

"You can't let your mind hold you back. Your body can do so much more than you think it can."