Shenzhen hosted the Chinese mainland's National Swimming Championships, and the pool was set ablaze by standout performances in breaststroke and butterfly events.
In the men's 100-meter breaststroke, Shanghai's Qin Haiyang grabbed a narrow lead at the turn and never looked back, touching the wall in a season-best 58.61 seconds to claim gold. Jiangsu's Dong Zhihao pushed hard but settled for silver, highlighting Qin's continued dominance in this discipline.
On the flip side, Zhejiang's Yu Yiting took flight in the women's 100-meter butterfly. She surged ahead at the 50-meter mark and held strong to finish in 57.30 seconds. Jiangsu's Zhang Yufei, an Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo 2021 and bronze medalist at Paris 2024, was edged out by just 0.09 seconds, earning a hard-fought silver.
Barely an hour later, the 19-year-old Yu returned to the block for the women's 200-meter individual medley and secured her second gold of the day, clocking a solid 2:08.67. Her back-to-back victories underscored her versatility and stamina at such a young age.
Not to be overlooked, Guangdong's Chen Juner lit up the men's 50-meter butterfly, blazing to a 23.41-second finish for gold in a race that had fans on the edge of their seats.
These results offer a glimpse of the depth and talent across regions as athletes gear up for international meets. With season-best times and tight finishes, the championships in Shenzhen have set a high bar for the rest of the year.
Reference(s):
Qin and Yu impress at China's National Swimming Championships
cgtn.com
